This is the best book I've ever read about Italy. Never have I encountered a more insightful and hilarious insider/outsider portrait of the country at the center of Western civilization. Tim Parks should be given a villa in Rome and the title of English ambassador.--Sean Wilsey, author of Oh the Glory of It All

Engrossing, entertaining, and wonderfully revealing about the country and its people. It makes perfect armchair travelling - a delight from beginning to end.--David Lodge, author of Changing Places

This mix of piercing social observation and undying affection for Italy is classic Parks.--Rachel Donadio "New York Times"

[A] treat equivalent to a ride on the Orient Express... Italian Ways is no Ferrari on rails but instead something much better: a slow train so thoughtfully appointed that one never thinks to look out the window or care about the destination.--Ben Downing "Wall Street Journal"

Fascinating [and] droll.... Parks [is] perhaps the most faithful foreign inamorato Italy has ever had.--Andrea Lee "newyorker.com"

Parks really shines. He gives us a country that is as frustrating as it is endlessly fascinating.--Marjorie Kehe "Christian Science Monitor"

[Parks is] a perfect guide--an outsider, but one with a deep familiarity and respect (plus a dash of exasperated skepticism)--to the country's celebrated eccentricities. Parks has a charming voice and a novelist's eye.--Chloë Schama "Smithsonian"

Incisive [and] hilarious.--Alexander Aciman "The Daily Beast"

Relaxed, humorous, meandering [and] charming.--Brigitte Frase "Minneapolis Star Tribune"

A movable feast to say the least.--Richard Eder "Boston Globe"

Presents a picture of Italy you won't get from any tourist board... sympathetic and lively.--Micahel Upchurch "Seattle Times"

Delightful [and] hilarious.... Combining wonderfully evocative prose with a wry analysis, Parks provides local color while continually seeking hidden social meaning.... The result is a fascinating portrait of a society that seems rooted in place no matter how fast it goes.-- "Publishers Weekly, starred review"