The book is a journey through Milan, Pavia, Brescia, Como, Cremona and other places in Lombardy, which only a select few can afford. This Italy is a rare, expensive, almost inaccessible gift. Arkady Ippolitov, writer, art scholar, travel expert, leading the reader on the most brilliant of all possible excursions, not only tells what to see, but also reveals how to see. Castles, cathedrals, palaces, paintings, streets, squares, statues and restaurants come to life, become familiar, interesting, breathe details and acquire the facial expressions of Leonardo, Arcimboldo, Napoleon... Carthusians and Chartreuse, goose sausage and “stupid beef”, Milanese fortune tellers and grimacing mascarons ... The first desire of the reader is, armed with a book, to urgently fly to Italy and see it with new eyes.