After the fall of Napoleon, Stendhal set off to explore Italy in 1816–17: from his beloved Milan to Bologna, from Florence to Rome and then on to Naples, Paestum and Crotone before heading back north again.

His diary, published in 1826, is peppered with endless observations, piercing judgements, unique tales and anecdotes as well as dialogue caught on the fly, lightning-fast analyses that touch upon all spheres of life, from politics to religion, from customs to art, from theatre to daily routines, from major historical events to love affairs. The result is an enthralling and vivid work, the portrait of an Italy that, as Carlo Levi writes in the preface: “is invented, and therefore absolutely true: true at the time, as the author saw it, true today, and forever more.” This edition incorporates Bruno Schacherl’s translation with Delfino Sisto Legnani’s new photographic series, exploring that account of the Bel Paese that is offered by the Italia in Miniatura theme park.