Rick Steves will be hosting a two-hour Italy's Dolce Vita special will get you intimate with the unique ways locals embrace life along Italy's Amalfi Coast, in Tuscany, and in Italy's Hilltowns — proving once again that public television is the next best thing to a plane ticket.

The show follows host/producer/writer Rick Steves' travel philosophy, encouraging Americans to delve deep into Europe and become "temporary locals," learning not only about major cities but also about cozy "Back Door" villages away from tourist-trampled routes. As in Steves' 30 best-selling travel books, Rick Steves' Europe helps American travelers connect much more intimately with Europe — and Europeans — for a fraction of what mainstream tourists pay. The series is filled with visually and historically rich and entertaining adventures that are unique to Steves' style for teaching travel.

Since 1990, Steves has become a top pledge-drive host for public television, raising over one million dollars for them annually. A best-selling author, Steves self-published the first edition of his travel skills book, Europe Through the Back Door, in 1980. He has also written 12 country guidebooks, nine city and regional guides, six phrase books, and co-authored Europe 101: History and Art for Travelers. His Italy guidebook is the best selling international guidebook in the U.S. In addition to his guidebooks, Rick is a syndicated newspaper columnist with the Tribune Media Services and is a regular on the op-ed page of USA Today. He appears frequently on television, radio, and the Internet as the leading authority on independent European travel.