A journey around Italy by train, full of humorous and insightful observations on what the railways and their travellers reveal about the country. From an author well-known for his books about Italy; "A Season With Verona", "An Italian Education" and "Italian Neighbours", which combined have sold 235,000 copies. 'A grouchy, often very funny hosanna to Italian railroad locomotion in all its rackety glory' Ian Thomson "Evening Standard".

Born in Manchester, Tim Parks grew up in London and studied at Cambridge and Harvard. In 1981 he moved to Italy where he has lived ever since. He is the author of novels, non-fiction and essays, including Europa, Cleaver, A Season with Verona and Teach Us to Sit Still. He has won the Somerset Maugham, Betty Trask and Llewellyn Rhys awards, and been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He lectures on literary translation in Milan, writes for publications such as the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books, and his many translations from the Italian include works by Moravia, Calvino, Calasso, Tabucchi and Machiavelli.