Robert Byron

Three rich young Englishmen cross pre-World War II Europe in an old car with a mixture of laugh-out-loud humor and perceptive commentary on art and architecture Turning a corner we suddenly found ourselves sliding down a precipice, tilted so far forward that it was necessary to hold ourselves back with our hands pressed against the dashboard, as half a dozen Apennine valleys beckoned invitingly below. Here [St Peter' s] Popes with black faces and...

Of the journey by travel writer Robert Byron to the Middle East, this serves as a rare account of the architectural treasures of a region now innaccessible to most Western travellers, and a nostalgic look back at a more innocent time.