When Mary Shelley travels across Europe in the summers of 1840 and 1842 with her eighteen-year-old son Percy Florence and some of his friends, their destination is Italy. The country where she had lived for years and lost her husband as well as two of her children. Despite all the sorrow, her joy in exploring foreign lands in the company of young people prevails. They pass through France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, and finally arrive in Italy. Shelley meticulously records their adventures and impressions and publishes them in 1844 - the content mainly comes from her diaries, but also includes letters to her stepsister Claire. Landscapes, politics, history, literature, art, as well as customs and traditions are the themes of her vivid descriptions. And Shelley never hesitates to express her opinions.