For the first-time visitor to Italy (a giant audience), the itinerary of this Easy Guide is the classic pattern: while countless other places are almost — we stress "almost" — as compelling, these magical three cities overawe all others. And we've enlisted three superb researchers and writers to capture them for you. Eleonora Baldwin lives in Rome, where she is one of the city's foremost experts on local cuisine and culture. Donald Strachan, who lives most of the year in Italy, has written books and articles on Italy for more than 20 years. Stephen Keeling is an Oxford graduate who won a much-coveted journalistic prize in 2008 for his Frommer's Guide to Tuscany and Umbria. All three have teamed to prepare this revised and up-to-date guide to Italy's classic "three".