Book excerpt: The second book in a much loved Italian travel memoir trilogy which also includes the delightful When in Rome and Girl by Sea. After three years living and working in Italy, Australian journalist Penelope Green needs a reason to stick around - true love or gainful employment. When a job comes up in Naples - crime capital of Italy, home of pizza and the Camorra, and crouched at the foot of a volcano - Penny launches herself into the unknown. With her innate curiosity and eye for detail, Penny prises Naples open to show us the real city, in all its splendour... and all its depravity. She uncovers a chaotic metropolis when crime and poverty blur with abundant natural beauty, and where the shadow of Mount Vesuvius is a daily reminder that life must be lived for the moment. And when Penny meets a bass player in a local band, she thinks she might have found that other reason to stick around. 'This is a bewitching, true tale of a tantalising city. Magnifico!' - Marie Claire 'frank, funny and honest' - Notebook 'Her down to earth tone and genuine curiosity make for an interesting and insightful read' - Sun-Herald Author Biography Penelope Green was born in Sydney and worked as a print journalist around Australia for a decade before moving to Rome in 2002. Her first book, When in Rome, recounts her early experiences in the Eternal City. In 2005 she moved to Naples to work for ANSAmed, a Mediterranean news service. She found an apartment in the city's colourful Spanish Quarter, worked hard at mastering the Neapolitan dialect, and writing her second travel memoir, See Naples and Die. Girl by Sea completes Penny's Italian experience as she moves to the idyllic island of Procida, across the bay from Capri, with her Italian partner, Alfonso. The couple have now returned to Australia, where they are making a new life for themselves back in the Southern hemisphere. For more information visit penelopegreen.com.au