This is a truly delightful account of Lear's travels in one of the wildest parts of the Italian peninsular in the mid-1800s. With a fellow artist and a local guide Lear explores the dramatic but bandit-infested mountains and valleys of southern Calabria, enduring discomfort and dangers, but all the time enjoying and appreciating the hospitality and curiosity of the inhabitants. Although quick to see the humour in every situation, Lear describes the people with respect and affection, and his diary gives the reader a rare picture of life in a region little visited by foreign travellers in this period.