Rome Venice Florence, 3rd

Three remarkable cities, with three remarkable stories to tell. Rome went out and conquered the world, and in its retirement came back to remake itself an ornate capital for an empire of souls. Venice built itself up from a Dark Age swamp to become a fairy city of canals. Florence built its empire on finance and wool, and lavished the profits on art and science. Pomp and glory, greed and beauty, mercantilism and brains - between the three, you'll discover a good deal of what Italy means. Cadogan's essential guide uncovers the divine, the great and the quirky in each city, where the stuff of civilization merges delightfully into the pleasures of everyday life.