Searching for the legendary Italian style, David Lane draws on decades of living in Italy, an unrivalled knowledge of the country and a huge network of contacts that give him special strength in tackling this fascinating subject. Lane goes backstage at collections, sits beside catwalks, learns about luxury lingerie, watches hat-makers, bag-makers, seamstresses and shoemakers at work, visits the assembly lines at Lamborghini and Ferrari, meets opera folk and politicians, talks to some of those who decide and shape Italian style, and looks back at the glamorous years when Hollywood was on the Tiber and Rome's dolce vita was the high life led by movie stars and jet-setters. From Florence to Bologna, Turin, Como and Treviso, treasuries of art and culture from past, cradles of style today, his account traces a colour-packed journey through towns and cities of northern Italy, and he casts a critical eye on Milan, Italy's captial of fashion. In a rich portrait of the Italian North, this memorable journey travels right to the heart of Italian style.