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One of the most renowned lines from Giuseppe Verdi's Attila drama happens right off the bat, in the preamble, when a Roman agent proposes the division of the realm to Attila the Hun: Avrai tu l'universo, Resti l'Italia a me, he sings. You might have the universe, however pass on Italy to me.

Whenever the drama was first acted in Venice on March 17, 1846, this line was met with cheers. No big surprise: Italy, as anybody acquainted with it knows, is a universe unto itself.

It is difficult to recount to only one tale about Italy, and some way or another harder still to catch the sensation of being there. Yet, in the previous ten years, our authors have given a valiant effort. They've cycled the sun-absorbed towns of Puglia and jumped profound Genoa for l'unico vero basilico al mondo-the main genuine basil on the planet. Some have slipped into stowed away ateliers in Naples for a tailor-made suit. Others have visited Calabria to cook like their grandmas.

Like so many of you, we return to Italy, over and over. Yet, in when we can't promptly jump on a plane and visit the country, it is our expectation that these accounts assist with taking you there. Cheerful perusing. - The Editors