As usual, Calvino does not disappoint. The writing is intelligent, and always dynamic, and he has this playful sensibility which really comes through in his non fiction work. "Why read the classics?" I found especially resonant and gratifying since I studied them in grad school. He just brings such a fresh, lively perspective to everything he writes about, heck, he almost made me want to read Dickens again in 'the novel as spectacle'
Note: a lot of the pieces from section II can also be found in his collection "Why read the classics?" which is also great