packmybags

Looking for suggestions for books to read prior to a during a vacation to Florence, Tuscany and CT.

I'll start with the obvious: Under the Tuscan Sun.

What books would you recommend?

Many thanks.

HappyTrvlr

Irving Stone's. "The Agony and the Ecstacy" for Florence.
Machiavelli's "The Prince"
And you can visit both Machiavelli's and Michelangelo's tombs in the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence.

tuscanlifeedit

A Room With A View by EM Forster for Florence.

Brunelleschi's Dome for Florence, too.

I don't think that there are any books that deal with Le Cinque Terre, but someone can set me straight.

For Tuscany, War in the Val d'Orcia by Iris Origo.

tuscanlifeedit

I forgot to mention that I once or twice have reread A Room With A View while in Florence.

Blueeyedcod

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...eautiful-ruins

This one is a novel set in Cinque Terre in 1962.

packmybags

Great ideas.

I think I will start with A room with a view.

On a side note, anyone who is planning a trip to Venice would really enjoy Donna Leon's books.

Ackislander

Oh, yes, "War in the Val d'Orcia". Also "Love and War in the Appenines". Those are such wonderful books, both about Britons who for widely different reasons find themselves in enemy territory.

Dayle

Years ago "Vanilla Beans and Brodo" by Isabella Dusi was recommended here on Fodors. I read it, loved it, and was inspired to spend 3 days in Montalcino as a result. A real highlight of my 2005 trip.

Isabella is an Australian who relocated to Montalcino long ago and wrote about her experience, the local people of the town, and getting to know her new home.

You may find it somewhere on the internet. I believe it's out of print, but I still have my copy

yorkshire

Any interest in nonfiction? The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and its Citrus Fruit is fascinating, and deals with so much more than fruit.

mama_mia

"Extra Virgin" by Annie Hawes is set in Liguria and is an entertaining read.

jangita

Try Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant for Florence.

For CT, there is a wonderful read called Beautiful Ruins. It is set partly in a fictional town in the CT as well as in Rome and the US.

packmybags

Thank you for all these suggestions. I plan to get a few real books to read before the trip, and then load a few more on my ipad for reading during the trip.