The Familiar Letters from Italy to a Friend in England refer chiefly to the journey made in Italy by the author in the year 1787, although they include allusions to earlier visits in 1765, 1766 and 1785. The account is fluent and filled with hints for tourists, geographical references and indications of routes. A careful reading allows us to reconstruct the stages in Beckford's journey: he visited Turin , Genoa , Piacenza , Parma , Modena , Bologna , Florence , Pisa , Livorno, Lucca , Siena , Rome and finally Naples and Sicily . On his way back he passed through Civita Castellana, Terni, Spoleto, Loreto, Ancona, Rimini, Ravenna, Ferrara, Venice, Padua, Verona, Brescia, Mantua, Cremona, Pavia and Milan.