John Cam Hobhouse's 1859 publication provides a detailed account of his travels around Italy between 1816 and 1854. The two volumes contain informative descriptions of the places, people and politics of nineteenth-century Italy, and the reader will gain fascinating insights into the close relationship between Hobhouse and Lord Byron. Providing a mix of entertaining anecdotes and historical information, the volumes explore 'a country now made accessible by a few hours journey and familiar to us by every mode of illustration', acquainting the Victorian traveller (and now the modern reader) with the Italy 'of times long past'. Volume 1 begins with Hobhouse's journey from Switzerland to Italy in 1816 and records his impressions of cities including Milan, Verona, Venice and Rome.