In September 1836, Collins left London for Italy, where he remained for two years, occupying himself with advancing his knowledge of painting, but he had to return due to illness. He then began a series of pictures depicting Italian life, including "Poor Travellers at the door of a Capuchin Convent near Vico, Bay of Naples" and "A Scene near Subiaco", both exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1839. They were followed in 1840–1841 by two New Testament subjects: "Our Saviour with the Doctors in the Temple", and "The Two Disciples at Emmaus".