TIM JEPSON is a passionate and lifelong devotee of Italy. Since graduating from Oxford, he has spent long periods of time living and traveling in the country, including a year in a remote Umbrian village. Over the years, he has written some fifteen books on the country, as well as numerous articles for the Daily Telegraph, Vogue, Condé Nast Traveller, and other publications. Now based in London, Jepson continues to visit Italy regularly, and, as a keen hiker and outdoor enthusiast, he takes a particular interest in the country's mountain and wilderness areas. He also revels in Italy's more sedentary pleasures--the food, wine, art and culture--and hopes one day to indulge them all from a small Venetian apartment of his own.

MATT PROPERT is a freelance photographer and photo editor based in Santa Cruz, California. His photography has been shown in one-person exhibitions and published nationally and internationally. He has photo-edited more than 30 books for the National Geographic Society on topics ranging from Mount Everest to the history of Christianity.