Focusing on six of Italy's best-loved regions - Tuscany, Umbria, Lombardy, the Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Liguria - this book examines the widely differing architectural styles to be found in each. From the fortified hill towns of Umbria, which bear witness to the region's troubled past, to the classical elegance of the Veneto, with its Palladian columns and arcades; from the dusty terracotta farmsteads of Emilia Romagna to the fishermen of Liguria's brightly stuccoed homes, packed tightly together on steep cliffs leading down to the harbour, the author aims to capture the vitality and variety of Italy. The descriptions of the buildings are interspersed with historical and cultural information, and colour photographs. The author's other books include "Discovering the Hill Towns of Italy" and "Tuscany".