Elizabeth Heath is a US-born writer and editor now based in Umbria, Italy, from where she writes about travel, culture, and archaeology in Italy and farther afield for The Independent, Travel + Leisure, National Geographic and many other titles. She has degrees in fine arts and humanities and completed doctoral coursework in anthropology and archaeology, which led her to Italy, where she's lived for the last 16 years. From her adopted hometown of Allerona, she operates Villaggio Tours, a small-group tour company offering immersive experiences in Italian village life. She is the author of The Independent's guides to the best hotels in Rome.