mmmooommm

I am going to Venice and Rome over Christmas and New Years this winter with my family. Looking to read something in the non travel book realm about the city (s). Not necessarily classic stuff ( old) but stuff to get me into the mood of being there.

Some titles I have perused... travel accounts (Joseph Brodsky’s "Watermark," Harold Brodkey’s "My Venice," Mary McCarthy’s "Venice" , Ruskin’s "Stones of Venice"; a couple of novels, Donna Leon and Barry Unsworth’s "Stone Virgin,"Mann’s "Death in Venice"and Ian McEwan’s "The Comfort of Strangers".

Haven't looked much into Rome yet. Venice first!

Have you read these? Recommendations ?

HappyTrvlr

I have read all,of Donna Leon's mysteries. Fun reads, perfect as an introduction to Venice. There is also a cookbook of recipes the Brunettis serve at home.
Irving Stone's "Agony and the Ecstacy", for Rome and Florence, Michelangelo.

Nelson

"Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling" by Ross King. Also, his "Brunelleschi's Dome", though it is more for Florence.

There may be some question about just how autobiographical it is, but "The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini" is a fascinating and entertaining read.

Those were among some books I read prior to our Italy trip a few years ago and felt that enriched our time there.

MmePerdu

I, too, like Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti a lot but my all time favorite Venice mystery is 'Dead Lagoon' by the late, lamented Michael Dibdin. You may recognize the name of his protagonist, Aurelio Zen.

MmePerdu

I also liked John Berendt's 'The City of Falling Angels', taking us step by step through the drama of the fire that destroyed the Fenice opera house.

Peter_S_Aus

Venice, by James Morris / Jan Morris is a favourite of mine.

Also Secret Venice, by Jonglez, may be worth a look.

tarquin

Dead Lagoon by Michael Dibdin, mentioned above, is about the best.

Also

Miss Garnet's Angel by Sally Vickers

A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena di Blasi

No Mean Hotel by Judith Martin has a good roundup of books on Venice.

annhig

Zen is based mainly in Rome, so Dibden will assist with that too. [they filmed the TV adaptations very near the apartment we rented last time we were there, so it was even more fun to watch and try to spot the places we knew]

More along the travel lines, but IMO still very interesting is HV Morton "A traveller in Rome". [you might like a Traveller in Italy too, but I'd try Rome first to see if you like his style.] I was reading it while we were there "between Popes" and the titbits about how they choose and dress the new Pope, the saying of Mass in St. Peter's, and roman life in general were still very relevant and apposite.

There is also a very good detective series set in Florence but sadly I've forgotten the name of the author. I'll try to find it and come back to you.

Vttraveler

I recommend the Magdalen Nabb Marshal Guarnaccia mysteries set in Florence (maybe these are the ones annhig was thinking of)

My husband and I have been watching a TV series based on the Donna Leon mysteries, Brunetti. This is a German production so the shows are about Venice and Venetian characters, based on books by an American author, and are in German with English sub titles. Very well done with great scenes of Venice.

Some other good books: The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr; The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry that Transformed Rome by Jake Morrissey, and A Thousand Bells at Noon: A Roman Reveals the Secrets and Pleasures of His Native City by G. Franco Romagnoli.

I know there are other threads about books set in Italy.

annhig

I recommend the Magdalen Nabb Marshal Guarnaccia mysteries set in Florence (maybe these are the ones annhig was thinking of)>>

exactly, VT. brava!

Vttraveler

This is one of the threads on books about Italy that could keep you reading for years
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...t-in-italy.cfm

I also remembered a good memoir by an American who lived in Rome for a year
Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr

MmePerdu

Even though there are other threads I'm glad, for my own sake, the question's been asked again. I always have more books waiting than I'll ever have time for but still grateful to find authors new to me and remind me of some I've forgotten.

tarquin

I meant No Vulgar Hotel by Judith Martin.

ellenem

Here's a website listing mystery books set in Italy.

http://italian-mysteries.com/

denisea

The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome is a really good review of the lives, design styles, personalities of the two-really good book.

Fiction set in and around Rome is Poison by Sara Poole (series of books). The heroine works in the Borgia household.

The Venetian Betrayal by Steve Berry is also good (the whole series are good historical fiction).

Jean

Tim Parks has written several books about Italy and living in Verona. The most recent title is "Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails From Milan to Palermo."

I've enjoyed several books by Robert Edsel about saving Italian art during WWII:

"Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History." (The movie based on the book, directed by George Clooney, will be released in Dec. 2013.)

"Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis"

"Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe's Great Art - America and Her Allies Recovered It"

On the same topic, there was a very good documentary released about 5 years ago titled "The Rape of Europa."

DianeGermaine

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant -- about a courtesan in 16th century Venice. I haven't read this one yet, but I enjoyed a book the author wrote that was set in the U.S. The cover is a bit suggestive and some reviewers on Goodreads were disappointed that it wasn't smuttier, but the author seems to get good marks for historical fiction.

yorkshire

I was also going to recommend Sarah Dunant, but Blood and Beauty: The Borgias, which I just picked up and am enjoying immensely!

charnees

Alibi, by Joseph Kanon. About collaboration with the Germans in the war. A thriller set in post-WWII Venice. Good setting of the atmosphere of Venice.. (He also wrote The Good Gerrman). There is also a good new history out, I think called Venice, a History.

charnees

Venice: a New History, by Thomas Madden