'Read, read, read, read, my unlearned reader! read...' Sterne's great comic novel is the fictional autobiography of Tristram Shandy, a hero who fails even to get born in the first two volumes. It contains some of the best-known and best-loved characters in English literature, including Uncle Toby, [...]

Umbria, 'the Green Heart of Italy', is a fascinating region of Etruscan and Roman monuments, medieval castles and cathedrals, and the Renaissance art of Giotto, Perugino and the young Raphael. Everywhere, vibrant cities, evocative hill-towns and tranquil villages are set amid glorious landscapes. Th[...]