Hill Towns of Italy, first published in 1963, is a close look at a number of Italy's picturesque hill towns and villages. More than just a travel guide, author Lucy Notestein discusses each region's art, architecture, history, culture, cuisine, and more. Indexed, and illustrated throughout by pen-and-ink sketches.

From the Preface: "The essence of travel is discovery. It is a personal adventure in curiosity. This book is but an introduction to Italian hill towns. There are hundreds of other hill towns worth exploring, and it is my hope that the reader of this book will be inspired to set out for himself to see what is on many a hilltop and on the other side, in the Pistoian Alps, for instance, or to the east of Florence by Poppi, in much of the Marches, in the Abruzzi, in Latium, in Calabria, Apulia, and Sicily. Italy is inexhaustible. There are ancient peoples with whom to get acquainted, personages of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, painting, sculpture, architecture, regional customs, and always views."