Spencer, a native-born Mississippian, offers six fascinating tales in which Southerners surrender to the mesmerizing spell of Italy. Here in one volume are tales with plots so alluring and enigmatic that Boccaccio would have been charmed by their delightful ironies and their sinister contrasts of dark and light.

Elizabeth Spencer is captivated by Italy. Some of her most acclaimed work is set there. Collected in this volume are "The Light in the Piazza, " which is her signature piece, and six other Italian tales in which her American characters encounter and respond to the mysteries of Italian mores. Her plots are so alluring and enigmantic that the great Boccaccio would have been charmed by their delightful ironies and their sinister contrasts of dark and light. Elizabeth's Spencer's exceptional artisty has merited renown for her as one of America's best writers of short stories.