I know that this question and its variants is many times asked on this website, but I'm hoping to get some different responses.

Other than the norms, The Agony and the Ecstacy, Dante's Divine Comedy, or any of Ovid's poetry what would someone recommend a traveller to Italy to read (either beforehand or on the plane)...Any book specific suggestions for (Rome, Florence, Siena, Naples or Capri)?

would love memoir recommendations. I have been searching on Amazon, but would love personal recommendations too!

Many thanks in advance!
Patricia

For Venezia....A Thousand Days In Venice by Marlena De Blasi.

If you are really interested in non-fiction that will tell you about Italy today rather than under the Roman Empire, in the Middle Ages or during the Renaissance:

About Italy and Italians: The Italians by Luigi Barzini
About experiencing Italy: Italian Days by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
About Florence: The Stones of Florence by Mary McCarthy

And forget The Agony and the Ecstasy.

For Rome: Angels and Demons and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling.

I, Claudius by Robert Graves - panorama of Roman history amusingly told.

Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King - what an accomplishment!

As The Romans Do by Alan Epstein. He's an American that fell in love with Rome and moved there in the 90's with his wife and 2 small children. I wish I had read this before I went to Rome because he explains everyday life(schools, work, shopping, etc.) and customs.

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (I liked the movie even more than the book, which is rare for me)

Serenissima by Erica Jong

Disturbance of the Inner Ear by Joyce Hackett

Renato's Luck by Jeff Shapiro

Without Reservations by Alice Steinback (a travel memoir)

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

The Aspern Papers by Henry James

Hi Patricia
I recommend: The Stones of Florence and Venice Observed by Mary McCarthy
For Capri: The Story of San Michele by Axel Munthe
For Rome: I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves.
I also love the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, it's ten times better than the film.

Happy Reading!

If you're going to Tuscany -
"War in Val D'Orcia" by Iris Origo. She was a remarkable Englishwoman who married an Italian, and this beautifully written book is her diary of their experiences helping the Resistance in WW II.

"The Hills of Tuscany" by Ferenc Mate - I preferred this to "Under the Tuscan Sun," mostly because I liked Ferenc and his wife better than Frances Mayes.

For Umbria: "A Year in Italy" by Lisa St Aubin de Terain. This is definitely the wild and craziest of the "fix up an old place" in Italy books.

On a recent trip, we had fun tracking down the places where these writers had lived.

The suggestion of The Aspern Papers gave me the idea of an all-Henry-James selection: The Wings of the Dove (for its Venice scenes); Daisy Miller; The Portrait of a Lady; can anyone add to the list?

How could I have forgotten EM Forster's 'A Room with a View' in my original post? A must for a trip to Florence!

I am afraid I did not like Under the Tuscan Sun at all - Mayes' exaggerated isn't-it-quaint attitude to market vegetables (amongst other things) was so cringeworthy I couldn't wait to put it down. A modern-day Forster would choose exactly this sort of person to satirise.

Oops, the book by Lisa St. Aubin de Terain is "A Valley in Italy," not "A Year in Italy."

Another good book is "Within Tuscany" by Matthew Spender. If you saw the movie, "Stealing Beauty," many of the sculptures in that film were actually done by Spender.

I second several suggestions: Without Reservations by Alice Steinbeck is great; Michalangelo and the Pope's Ceiling is terrific as well. Right now I'm reading Galileo's Daughter and enjoying it. I also purchased Birth of Venus by Dunst. This one I'm saving for my vacation in Colorado since I can't afford Italy again this summer!!

A must read for an ironic and witty profile of the Italians through the eyes of an expat Englishman is "Italian Education" by Tim Parks.

If you're interested in historical fiction with a fantasy leaning, read The Stars Compel and the The Stars Dispose, both by Michaela Roessner. They are about a chef in Renaissance Italy, who knew and worked for the young Caterina de Medici. Lots of stuff about food and cooking, and lots of historical facts (accurate, based on my somewhat limited knowledge). Set mostly in Florence, and some in Rome.

The series "Travelers Tales Guides," which are essay collections, has several books that might fit the bill; there's one on Italy, and another on Tuscany.

For Venice, any of the excellent books by Donna Leon--terrific sense of place, especially "Aqua Alta."

"A Thousand Bells At Noon", in which a former Roman revisits his hometown. This book is not a work of fiction.

Also "Artemisia" by Lapierre was quite entertaining on my last trip to the Eternal City.

Buon Leggere & Buon Viaggio,
BC

Eloise,
I'm curious why you would not reccommend The Agony and the Ecstacy ? Granted its all rather melodramatic and portrays Michaelangelo thru rose tinted glasses, but otherwise a great read I thought and it describes so much of the art I'm hoping to see this November ...

Ssachida,

I agree that The Agony and the Ecstasy is a great read, but when there are so many books out there (I only mentioned non-fiction in my post) that are written by people who write better, understand Italy better and know Michelangelo's art better than Irving Stone, I prefer to direct my attention to them.

It's a personal matter, so perhaps I should not have been quite so peremptory in "banning" The Agony and the Ecstasy...

I second the book The Story of San Michele by Axel Munthe. I just started reading it and have already lapped up some good quotes from the "ill defined border land of real and unreal".