Italy has a special place in my heart and it’s never a bad idea to take a trip there. I’ve spent more than a year living in Italy in total, but when I can’t be there, I love to be transported back through books set in Italy.
I’m sure you agree. Which is why I’ve collated this collection of the best books about Italy, set in Italy, and by Italian writers. I’m a strong believe that a place can be explored a level deeper by reading the words of those who live in or who have extensively visited a place.
I’ve included Amazon links to each recommended book, but you can also see my post on where to get e-books and audiobooks for free. Note that the prices may be given in dollars, but the link will take you to your local Amazon store.
So, whether you’re yearning for a historical adventure, a heartwarming romance under the Tuscan sun, or a thrilling mystery, there’s an Italian-set book waiting to be discovered…
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Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using this link, but at no cost to you.
Historical Fiction Set in Italy
1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
In The Secret History by Donna Tartt, suspense builds as Richard Papen, a California outsider, joins a group of charismatic classics students at a prestigious Florentine university. Their obsession with ancient Greek rituals and their enigmatic professor, Julian Morrow, leads them down a dark path that culminates in a shocking murder.
“Our group was a mad tapestry, an intricate web of passions and rivalries.”
2. The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
The Birth of Venus is a richly detailed novel explores the rise and fall of the powerful Borgia family in Renaissance Italy. Through the eyes of Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of the infamous Pope Alexander VI, we witness the ruthless politics, artistic brilliance, and moral corruption of the era.
“Sometimes I think we are all Florentines at heart: a city of secrets and desires, of beauty and blood.”
3. Pompeii by Robert Harris
Gripping historical fiction meets disaster thriller in Harris’s account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The Pliny family, caught up in the cataclysmic event, provides a personal lens through which to experience the horror and devastation.
“The earth groaned, a sound low and dreadful, as if some monstrous creature was stirring beneath our feet.”
Romance Novels Set in Italy
4. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
The heartwarming memoir, Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, chronicles the transformation of an impulsive purchase – a crumbling villa in Tuscany – into a haven of love, friendship, and self-discovery. Mayes’s evocative descriptions of the Italian countryside and her amusing encounters with the locals will make you yearn for your own slice of la dolce vita. I also love the movie adaptation.
“It wasn’t love at first sight. It was a slow burn, a gradual peeling away of layers, a growing intimacy with the landscape.”
5. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
In One Italian Summer, Katy, a heartbroken young woman, embarks on a solo trip to Positano on the Amalfi Coast. Fate intervenes when she meets a charismatic local named Alessandro, and their whirlwind romance becomes a chance encounter that could change everything.
“Sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself, and sometimes getting lost leads you exactly where you’re meant to be.”
6. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
This classic romance novel follows Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman, on a trip to Florence with her repressed chaperone. Lucy’s encounters with a free-spirited group of travelers, including the captivating George Emerson, challenge her conventional views on love and society.
I’m not usually one for classic literature, but I read A Room with a View during my Italy trip in 2016 and I was blown away! The scene in the violets is forever imprinted in my mind.
“Why can’t we be ourselves? Why can’t we be honest?”
7. I Love Capri by Belinda Jones
I Love Capri is one of my favourite books of all time and the first books set in Italy I ever read, just before my first visit in 2013. I reread it often, usually in the summer during or just before a trip.
Kim Rees, a translator yearning for a life less ordinary, gets whisked away to the glamorous island of Capri by her mother. Yes, it’s chick lit, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s also about Kim reconnecting with her mother and her Italian roots, and rediscovering a zest for life again after heartbreak.
Mystery Novels Set in Italy
8. Commissario Brunetti Series by Donna Leon
Art historian turned crime writer, Donna Leon’s popular series features the thoughtful and tenacious Commissario Brunetti. Set in the atmospheric canals of Venice, the novels explore not just the whodunit of murder mysteries but also the social and political complexities of Italian society.
“Venice was a labyrinth, a city of secrets, and the opera house was no different.” (from Death at La Fenice, the first book in the series)
9. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
A murder investigation at a secluded abbey in the Italian Alps becomes a philosophical and theological exploration in Eco’s The Name of the Rose. Brother William of Baskerville, a brilliant detective monk, must navigate a labyrinth of medieval knowledge and hidden agendas to uncover the truth.
When I asked my Italian friends which Italian writers and books I should read, this is the one they name first.
“We are all storytellers, self included. We live in stories, we construct them for ourselves, for others, and to give meaning to our existence.”
More Italian Writers to Know
Italian literature offers a unique perspective on the country’s soul. Here are some notable Italian authors to explore:
Elena Ferrante
Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels (My Brilliant Friend is the first) is an epic saga of female friendship that follows the lives of two Neapolitan women, Elena and Lila, from childhood through adulthood.
Set against the backdrop of a working-class Naples neighborhood, the novels explore themes of poverty, violence, education, and the enduring power of female bonds.
I love love LOVE these books. It’s impossible to put them down and Ferrante captures the complex bonds of female friendships and sisterhood so perfectly.
Italo Calvino
A master storyteller known for his fantastical and philosophical works, Calvino’s novels range from the whimsical fables of Invisible Cities – a meditation on the nature of cities and memory – to the poignant reflections on life found in Mr. Palomar, the story of an astronomer who observes the world with wonder and curiosity.
“Arriving at each new city, the traveler finds again a past of his that he did not know he had: the foreignness of what you no longer are or no longer possess lies in wait for you in foreign, unpossessed places.” – Invisible Cities
Alessandro Baricco
Explore the themes of love, loss, and memory in Baricco’s lyrical novels. Silk is a story of a silkworm merchant’s obsessive quest for a mysterious woman
More Books Set in Italy
This list merely scratches the surface of the literary treasures Italy has to offer. Consider your favorite regions or historical periods to find even more specific recommendations. Grab a cup of espresso, settle into a comfy chair, and let yourself be transported to Italy by the power of a good book!
If you have any recommendations for other books set in Italy, leave them in the comment section below.
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