When I was growing up, we had a record album from the Reader’s Digest called The Festival of Light Classical Music. 

It had pretty much what you might expect. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The 1812 Overture, Bolero, all the famous, easily digestible pieces.

And it had Chaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien. 

Though, like nearly everyone else, it mis-transliterated Chaikovsky’s name.

Chaikovsky had entered into an ill-conceived marriage with a student, presumably to put to rest rumors of his sexual orientation. Things did not got well. See the movie The Music Lovers to get an idea.

He and his brother went to Rome to recuperate, and that was where he was inspired to write this fantasy overture. So perhaps something good came of that marriage after all.