Italy is too layered, too contradictory, too alive to be summed up by any single story. As an author drawn to Italy’s rhythms and tensions, I’ve gathered books that don’t just admire the country from a distance—they step inside its kitchens, courtyards, and quiet corners. These are the books that have shaped how I write about Italy, and how I live in it.

Please let me know what you think of this list and what you’d add to it! I’m always happy to put another book on my to-be-read pile. Particularly if the book stars Italy.

PS If you, like me, you count Italy and reading as two of your favorite things, then join me in Puglia in October of 2025 when I’ll be leading Book Club with a View! Find more details here.

Best Books Set in Italy

A Room with a View – E.M. Forster

Forster captures the awakening power of Italy, especially in contrast to repression and rigidity. It’s a masterclass in how setting can serve as an emotional catalyst in rich and evocative story. PS, if you like this one, check out Howard’s End. Not about Italy, but one of my favorite books of all time none-the-less. Savvy readers will find a sprinkling of EM Forster in my memoir.

My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante

Ferrante doesn’t romanticize Italy—she exposes it. Through friendship, poverty, violence, and longing, she reveals the grit and intimacy of Italian life, especially in the South. If anyone can write place as living, breathing pressure, it’s Ferrante. As one of Italy's greatest current writers, reading Elena Ferrante gives a real sense of modern Italian literature.

Enchanted April - Elizabeth von Arnim

This is Italy as sanctuary. In an atmospheric Ligurian villa, four British women discover Italy’s power to disarm and transform. The lush descriptions evoke how deeply place can stir the soul—especially in contrast to northern European restraint.

Brunelleschi’s Dome – Ross King

The genius and grit behind Florence’s architectural marvel. A deep dive into the ingenuity and artistic obsession that defined the Italian Renaissance. Also, fabulous example of creative non-fiction.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky – Mark Sullivan

This true story reads like fiction and uncovers a part of Italy many overlook: wartime courage and moral ambiguity in the North. A crucial read to understand Italy’s role in World War II, and the lines it created.

Extra Virgin – Annie Hawes

For pure observational gold. Hawes brings a Ligurian village to life with wry humor and sensory clarity—showing how rural Italy defies cliché and rewards close attention. Talk about the benefits of being in the moment.

Under the Tuscan Sun – Frances Mayes

The book that created a blueprint for place-based memoir: sensory-rich, structured by season, deeply personal. Under the Tuscan Sun spurred a movement that honored food, beauty, and the art of slow living. Plus, it’s the book that gave me permission to write Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center in the present tense :)