Favourite Books Set in Italy
Over the years, I have compiled this list of favourite books set in Italy. Most of them are novels or travel diaries on the Italian experience by classic international writers.
It’s no secret that I love books on Italy – and devour pretty much everything: poetry, history, cook books, novels, travel fiction, the lot. Here’s a list of Italy literature classics, I’d love to have for Christmas or any other occasion, if I didn’t have them already.
If you have got other favourite books set in Italy that aren’t already on the list, please, leave a comment. I’d really appreciate some inspiration for further reading.
E.M. Forster: Where Angels Fear to Tread
EM Forster’s most popular novel set in Italy is undoubtedly A Room with a View
focusing on Florence, which is absolutely lovely, but the tragic story of Lilia’s Italy infatuation and love affair is even better. With the smut that always gets in the eye and a vivid description of what is supposed to be San Gimignano in the province of Siena.
Charles Dickens: Pictures from Italy
I can read all Dickens’ novels again and again, so of course he must contribute to my favourite books set in Italy. Dickens portrays a nation of great contrasts, which in itself is a great achievement. And his descriptions of Genoa, Bologna, Rome, Naples and Venice anno 1844 are simply hilarious.
DH Lawrence: Twilight in Italy
‘Twilight in Italy’ here published along with Sketches from Etruscan Places, Sea and Sardinia may say more about DH Lawrence than about Italy, but I like to follow him around Trentino-Alto Adige and the Lake Garda.
Ernest Hemingway: A Farewell to Arms
Hemingway is generally too masculine for my taste, but the story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his passion for a beautiful English nurse is okay. And then, of course, I’ve been to Bassano del Grappa, which makes A Farewell to Arms compulsory reading.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Casa Guidi Windows
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote the blank verse novel Aurora Leigh, while living in Florence, but it is the poem on Casa Guidi Windows that most accurately describes the city in the mid 19th century.
Hans Christian Andersen: My Fairy-Tale Life
In Italy, the Danish master of fairy-tales, Hans Christian Andersen, covers much the same ground as Dickens, but his approach is more self-obsessed and naive, though just as interesting. A very enthusiastic traveller.
Stendhal: The Charterhouse of Parma
Classic French Romantic thriller set mainly in the court of Parma, Italy, in the early 19th century. The charterhouse is supposed to be inspired by the one in Pavia.
Goethe: Italian Journey
The problem with Goethe’s Italian Journey from 1786-1788 is that it has been quoted ad nauseam. I personally feel like screaming every time someone says: Do you know the country where the lemons bloom?, but apart from that the book is really nice, and it has to be included on a list of favourite books set in Italy.
Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Marble Faun
Part gothic novel and part travel guide, this book contains some great descriptions of Italy. Particularly Rome in the 1850’s and the beauty of the Tuscan landscape.
Lovely list, Lawrence wrote also a book about Sardinia “Sea and Sardinia”, as a local I really enjoyed his impressions :)
K. Beevor/ A Tuscan Childhood. One of my favorites. Starting 1916. Living in https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortezza_della_Brunella History. Family history. WWII. Death. Debts/ Inheritance tax. Lovely pictures. Romantic.
Thank you so much for your comments. Actually Lawrence’s book on Sardegna and the Etruscans is also part of the Twilight in Italy link. I just have the Twilight in an independent volume version.
I haven’t heard of Beevor’s Tuscan childhood, but will order it with the next batch along with Naples ’44 by Norman Lewis which was mentioned in the responses on Twitter.
Great list, I’ve written two of them down!
Where Angels Fear to Tread and Twilight in Italy are on my amazon shopping list. Thanks.
Great choices.
I remember reading ‘A Room With A View’ when I was a teenager. Inspired to get his other one now.
Great list, have added a few of them to my long list of books I hope to read which just keeps getting longer.
Glad to share some inspiration. And EM Forster is a dear to anyone who’ll admit to reading and loving Jane Austen (like me).
Thank you so much for this fantastic list, so many great suggestions I can’t wait to read! Have you read Luigi Barzini’s The Italians? It makes everything about the Italian character make perfect sense, and it’s highly amusing. I definitely recommend it.
I also love EM Forster. I can honestly say A Room with a View changed my life (I even wrote a post about it: https://thepinesofrome.blogspot.com/2011/08/room-with-view-fate-and-allure-of-italy.html) but Where Angles Fear to Tread is also wonderful!
I haven’t heard of Luigi Barzini before, so thanks a lot for the recommendation. I’ll definitely read it, just as I look forward to studying you blog, where you have a post not only on Forster but also an Hawthorne. Nice.
You’ll love it–you’ll find yourself saying outloud at every turn of the page, “yes! so that explains it!”
And I don’t think anyone’s ever put the Rome love-hate relationship better than Hawthorne.
You just made me realize how few classics I have read.
Ohhh, I love books. What a wonderful idea for a post. Thanks for the suggestions!
Great list of reads. I love Ernest Hemingway but haven’t read Farewell to Arms so didn’t know about the Italian theme. Reading about Italy just makes me want to be there…
Julia
That’s the idea with travel writing, I guess:) And by the way, I think old man Hans Christian wrote about Turkey and Istanbul, too…
On FB Jean Doorn added one more. Lovely read! Gavin Maxwell/ The ten pains of death. Bookreview: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/gavin-maxwell-2/the-ten-pains-of-death/#review More on Maxwell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Maxwell
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Don’t forget ‘Siren Land’, Naples ’44 (Lewis), The Volcano Lover (Susan Sontag) and Pompeii – a Novel.
Obviously a list with a southern-Italian bias….
Thanks Peter, I love the way this list of books set in Italy keeps growing.
What a wonderful list!
Thank you, Adri. Though I’m surprised you don’t have a title or two to add to this list of favourite books set in Italy:)
Read only two books mentioned in the list – will definitely go through the rest! Also, “Death in Venice” by Thomas Mann comes to mind. And “The gadfly” by Ethel Voynich.
I’m ashame to have forgotten about Thomas Mann. Of course he should be on the list. Ethel Voynich is new to me, and I can’t wait to get to know her. Thank you for taking the time to comment and share your suggestions:)
I loved and recommend “the city of falling angels” by John Berendt. You are going to see Venice as a local afterwards.
I’ll put that on my wish list immediately. Thanks for the recommendation.
Great list. Have you read ‘The Land Where Lemons Grow’. A fasinating book on Italian history? https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-land-where-lemons-grow/helena-attlee/9780241952573
Yes, it’s actually moved in on my coffee table so I can enjoy a page here and there. Thank you for the reminder. It definitely deserves to be included on the list.