In the eyes of the English Romantics, Italy was not a nation but 'Italia', a place inhabited by the ancient. Theirs was a view shaped by the Grand Tour, which elevated ancient Roman culture to an artistic and historical ideal. In this vivid history of their love affair with Italy, Roderick Cavaliero presents a readable and strongly-etched cultural history. Through the eyes of Romantic travellers and poets such as Byron, Keats and Shelley, we see a fascinating picture of pre-unification Italy, struggling to recover after Napoleon and edging towards the Risorgimento.