Hi Lamington!
I know I'm boring as I always mention the same book when someone asks for a good Italian cooking source, but "LE RICETTE REGIONALI ITALIANE" by Anna Gosetti Della Salda, Ed. Solares, is the true bible. It provides a wide overview of every italian region, and all the recipes are perfect. I LOVE that book!
You can also find it in some online shops, but with a small defect...there is no English translation. If you can deal with some italian

it's well worth the expense (very reasonable, in any case)
Pongi
BTW, probably it sounds like a nonsense considering how big it is, but I have relatives living in Melbourne. She is Italian (of course) and her husband is Scottish. They work, as a chemist and a biologist, in a great cancer research institute which name I can't remember. Any chance you know them?