Pictures from ItalyAfter Martin Chuzzlewit was published in 1844, Dickens deliberately took a break from novels to travel in Italy for almost a year. Bored by many traditional tourist sites and repelled by the greed and empty rituals of the Catholic Church, Dickens is far more attracted by urban desolation, the colourful life of the streets, and visible signs of the nation's richly textured past. He is especially drawn to the costumes, cross dressing, and sheer