New Italian sketches

An autumn descent through the Alps brings John Addington Symonds into Italy amid frost, golden larches, mountain torrents and changing light. These travel sketches gather studies of places chosen for travellers, with chapters on Monte Oliveto, Montepulciano, Umbria, Urbino and Venice. The opening follows the road through the Maloja pass to Chiavenna, then takes a carriage across the Apennines from Parma toward Sarzana. Landscape emerges through precise observations of colour, weather, sound and the movement of horses along the road.

A later excursion crosses the Venetian lagoon toward Chioggia with gondoliers, rowers and companions. Symonds notices women making lace at cottage doors, the commercial arrangements behind their work, and fishing boats with brightly patterned sails. His attention moves between wide views and the people earning their living within them. Readers interested in descriptive travel writing can find both a record of Italian scenery and a personal account of how places affect the observer.