After MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT was published in 1844, Dickens deliberately took a break from novels to travel in Italy for almost a year. Attracted by the urban desolation, the colourful life of the streets and visible signs of the nation's richly textured past, rather than by the traditional tourist sites, the result is a thrilling travelogue. It also reveals Dickens's anxieties and concerns, and should be viewed alongside the masterpieces of his mature works.