Description

‘If you love dogs, if you love travel and if you don’t mind Mark, you will love this book’ Paddy McGuinness

Call me Mark. My first time in the Roman district of Trastevere was in 1997 whilst covering the England World Cup qualifier for Radio 1. Nearly thirty years later, I’m headed back there, with my wife Bella and dog Arlo in tow.

Call me Arlo. I normally hate the sight of suitcases in case it means Him and Her are leaving me, but this time I’m coming with them. I’ve got my favourite food packed and my doggy passport ready to go.

In March 2024, the radio presenter Mark Radcliffe and his wife Bella set off from Cheshire in their VW Beetle convertible for a three-month sojourn in Rome taking with them their beloved and pampered five-year old cavapoo, Arlo.

Et Tu Cavapoo? is an account of their time there, told alternately between Mark and Arlo. Join them as they take in the sights (and sniffs) of Rome – from Arlo being taunted by his mortal enemies at the city’s cat colony, the pros and cons of queueing for pizza at a trattoria, Arlo’s fear of water extending to the Trevi Fountain, discovering what exactly the Spanish had to do with those famous steps, and the site where Shakespeare’s Caesar uttered the immortal words: ‘Et tu, Brute’?

Told with humour, affection and insight, this is a travel book like no other as one man and his dog seek to understand each other in one of the great cities of the world. A must-read for lovers of travel and history, food and drink, art and architecture, but also those seeking a deep insight into the eccentricities of the canine mind.

Publisher Review

‘Is Arlo part human or Mark part dog? Either way the communication between them is a joy on this unique Roman holiday’ * Noddy Holder * ‘Mark, Bella and Arlo roam Rome. A rollocking Romanesque romp or a relaxing rococo ramble. Excellent either way’ * Vic Reeves * ‘So great. My kind of shaggy dog story’ * Lauren Laverne * ‘If you love dogs, if you love travel and if you don’t mind Mark – you will love this book’ * Paddy McGuinness * ‘Pooches, paintings, popes and pizza – it’s all here. A warm, funny and fascinating read’ * Guy Garvey * ‘Mark Radcliffe is one of my favourite broadcasters, and he brings his usual wit and warmth to this doggy tale/tail of an unforgettable trip through both his beloved pooch’s mind and the cobbled streets of Rome… A must-read for lovers of fine food, history and hounds’ * Sara Cox * ‘[A] wildly entertaining and heartwarming travelogue’ * i paper *