My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

What we're reading

Books set in Italy for Italian holiday pleeease?

35 replies

RoobyMurray · 12/04/2011 17:59

I do like to read books set in the country I'm holidaying in, and this time it's Italy

I've done Forster...so, erm Death in Venice? Or is that a bit grim for poolside?

Can anyone suggest anything please?

OP posts:
Report
Francagoestohollywood · 12/04/2011 18:04

Death in Venice is a bit grim for the poolside.

How about Elizabeht Von Armin's "The Enchanted April"?

Report
Insomnia11 · 12/04/2011 18:08

Here are some I enjoyed, I love Venice, have been twice.

Susannah Clarke: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Salley Vickers: Miss Garnet's Angel

Erica Jong: Serenissima - A novel of Venice

A kids book, but lovely, with a Venetian flavour is "The Glass Heart...A tale of three princesses" by Sally Gardner

Also for non-fiction, bit of historical background etc before you go Francesco Da Mosto's Venice is brilliant. Also you might still be able to get his TV series on DVD. He did a very good round Italy one later too. He's from an old Venetian family.

Report
Francagoestohollywood · 12/04/2011 18:10
Report
TheCowardlyLion · 12/04/2011 18:11

The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis.

If you google 'books set in Italy' you get lists like this

Report
Francagoestohollywood · 12/04/2011 18:13

How about Umberto Eco "The name of the rose"
Giorgio Bassani "The garden of the Finzi Contini"
Giovanni da Lampedusa "The Leopard"

Report
castlesintheair · 12/04/2011 18:14

The Savage Garden by Mark Mills

Report
RoobyMurray · 12/04/2011 18:26

Great, thanks everyone! I'll have a mooch.

BTW, I did google, but I was a bit overwhelmed so though I would asked some people I know will have excellent taste Wink

OP posts:
Report
porcamiseria · 12/04/2011 22:19

try

extra virgin, annie hawes
a valley in italy, lisa st aubin de teran

have read them ALL and these are my faves

Report
MmeSurvivedLent · 12/04/2011 22:23

I was just going to suggest Annie Hawes, Porcamisera. Is that where you have your name from? It always reminds me of that book.

Report
CristinaTheAstonishing · 12/04/2011 22:25

If you like crime books Gianrico Carofiglio or Niccolo Ammaniti

Report
thaigreencurry · 12/04/2011 22:28

For a lighthearted read try The Perfect Lie by Emily Barr. She is fantastic at combining travel writing/chick lit/suspense. Set in Venice








P

Report
squix · 12/04/2011 22:33

Second The Savage Garden, read it by the pool in Italy a few years ago. I also quite liked 'Last Train From Liguria' by Christina Dwyer Hickey.

If you like easy to read detective series then there are quite a few - Donna Leon, Michele Ferara and a few others.

Report
Maud2011 · 13/04/2011 09:26

A Favourite of the Gods by Sybille Bedford - largely though not entirely set in Italy as far as I remember... it's about 20 years since I read - and loved - it!

Report
Bucharest · 13/04/2011 09:45

Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun is lovely.

Be careful of foreign-woman-goes-to-tread-grapes-with-friendly-locals genre though. Most are dire (and always have me chuntering that I could do better myself Grin)

Tim Parks Italian Neighbours/An Italian Education are both quite good.

I've just bought The Dark Heart of Italy which is definitely not rose-tinted!

Report
RoobyMurray · 13/04/2011 10:32

ooh, great thanks for these! I'm going to have an excess luggage ishoo at this rate Smile maybe I'll have to kindle a few.

I'm not so keen on soppy or crime, but neither do I want Very Serious...

trots of back to Amazon

OP posts:
Report
NicknameTaken · 14/04/2011 12:45

Tuscany for Beginners - very funny.

Report
horseyrider · 15/04/2011 19:59

I know this is a classic but try "Romola" by Elisabeth Gaskell - beautiful!

Report
sethstarkaddersmackerel · 15/04/2011 20:02

isn't Romola by George Eliot?
(not that I have read it)

Report
londonartemis · 16/04/2011 14:19

Check out Nicky Pellegrino - of Italian origin, sets her books in Italy. Light read, good for holidays.

Report
NettoSuperstar · 16/04/2011 14:24

Non fiction, but Peter Moore's 'Vroom with a View', and 'Vroom by the Sea' are very good.
He's a very funny travel writer.

Report
Ruthie32 · 18/04/2011 20:31

Try 'Eat Pray Love', the first third is based in Rome, the second in India and the third in Bali

Report
sonearsofar · 18/04/2011 22:21

'I'm not Scared' by Niccolo Ammaniti is a good read - I tell you what it's about as that would spoil it.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

trumpton · 18/04/2011 23:19

More Lives Than One by Libby Purves. Good story and well written with a twist in it.

Report
sparkle1977 · 21/04/2011 16:34

I'm currently reading a book by Louise Candlish called "Other People's Secrets" which is fab plus its set in Italy and is based around two families that are holidaying there.

Report
WalterFlipschicks · 21/04/2011 16:36

Anything by Marina Fiorato is great, The GlassBlower of Murano is one, my fave of hers is The Botticelli Secret and there is one more can't remember the name Smile

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.