Books set in Italy: the best way to start dreaming about your next destination!

Book lovers we got you!

Have you ever thought of reading a novel about your destination beforehand? The greatest stories and characters will enhance your travel and open new worlds of fantasies and reality.

We are going to tell you the MUST READS and current most famous novels written by Italians that are indeed very telling of specific places, as well as narrating incredible stories. And we know that tales are what make us feel all the emotions!

Enjoy our top picks!

“My brilliant friend”, Naples

What a tragic, genius, lively 4-books saga. The stories of two girls growing up in the poorest districts of Naples in the ’50s. From when they are little kids, with angry parents, trying to go to school, to when they are adults, paving their way in the difficult mysoginistc world, with despicable men, sometimes in disguise. The relationship between these two women is complicated and unresolved. The dynamics between the many characters bring the city alive and the author paint a clear image of the whole place and its people in a raw and authentic way.

“The Florios of Sicily”

This is not just a 2-books novel. This is the real story of one of the most famous, and infamous, troubled families in Italy. The Florio family shaped the destiny of Sicily and Italy at the start of the XX century thanks to their entrepreneurial and proud spirits. A grandiose story that covers multiple generations and goes deep into the economics and historical events of those years, intertwined with the personal stories of the members of the family. There are so many remanings from the Florios, like the two villas, one in Palermo and one in the island of Favignana.

“The Name of the Rose”, Piedmont

Thriller lovers, here is the one for you! One of the most famous novels set in Italy, adapted into movies and tv series. Set in a monastery where all of a sudden murders start happening, it features religious controversies, mysteries and political secrets. It is not exactly set in the region of Piedmont: the prologue narrates about the manuscript being found here in the Alps of Piedmont, maybe in the beautiful Sacra of San Michele. On the other hand, the fortress Castel del Monte in Apulia was definitely an inspiration in designing the monastery.

Start planning your visit and design your literary itinerary!

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