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.

PRAISE for See Naples and Die:

'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

PRAISE for When in Rome:

Winner of the Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize in the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.

'Written engagingly and with great honesty, Penelope Green's experiences definitely do not include restoring any farmhouses... Funny and full of heart.' The Australian Women's Weekly

'Green deserves to be congratulated on her bravery and candour... and her descriptions of Rome are so vivid you can almost smell the coffee.' Sun-Herald