[I]t would be well if [travellers] remembered they are not dealing here with innkeepers of the ordinary continental stamp; but with persons who are for the most part quite independent of the albergo as a source of profit, and ready to receive strangers with a friendliness that does not appear as an item in the bill. -From "Chapter IX: To Agordo and Primiero"

The real-life inspiration for modern-day mystery writer Elizabeth Peters's "Amelia Peabody" novels, celebrated Victorian adventuress Amelia Edwards enjoyed unexpected notoriety, for a woman, as a journalist, political activist, and world traveler.

In 1872, she and a female companion set off on a "ramble" through the nearly impassable Italian Dolomites, where food and shelter were chancy propositions but the scenery was gorgeous and the people friendly and welcoming. Edwards approached the expedition with humor and enthusiasm, and she regales us with the tale of the journey with the generous, vivacious spirit that made her one of the her era's most daring women.