Italian Backgrounds

Sit back, relax, and join Edith Wharton on her journey through early 20th century Italy.

A seasoned traveller, ‘Italian Backgrounds’ condenses a decade’s worth of Edith Wharton’s journeys through Italy, into one work. A chronicle rather than a novel, Wharton perfectly captures the essence, architecture, countryside, and people she comes across on her sojourn.

Her adventure starts in Swiss Splügen, where she and her party must decide which road to take. As the journal unfolds, we are whisked through some famous Italian cities, such as Venice, Rome, and Milan, explore the likes of Lake Como and visit smaller towns and villages.

In typical Wharton style, no detail is left undocumented, creating a book that is as rich in historical context as it is in its evocative description. A superb read for Wharton fans and those interested in history and travel.




Edith Wharton (1862 – 1937) was an American designer and novelist. Born in an era when the highest ambition a woman could aspire to was a good marriage, Wharton went on to become one of America’s most celebrated authors. During her career, she wrote over 40 books, using her wealthy upbringing to bring authenticity and detail to stories about the upper classes and she went on to become the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Literature, for her novel 'The Age of Innocence'. She moved to France in 1923, where she continued to write until her death.

Her works have been adapted to the screen countless times. The most recent examples are Martin Scorsese's 'The Age of Innocence' (1993) starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder and Terence Davies' 'The House of Mirth' (2000) starring Gillian Anderson and Eric Stoltz.