We are traveling to Rome, Sorrento/Amalfi Coast, Florence, Venice, Pompeii, and Pisa next March. I'm an engineer and also a humanities/architecture buff, so I was wondering if there are any good books I could read before our trip to learn more about the history and such of some of the towns we will be visiting. Thanks!

I recently read Rome from the Ground Up and Venice from the Ground Up (both by James HS McGregor), which are architectural-based histories and found them fascinating. I even got a few ideas of particular sights to visit. If you're interested in ancient Rome, I also recently read Rome: An Archaeological Guide (Amanda Claridge) and liked it so much I bought a copy to take with me. It includes walking tours highlighting ancient sites (including 2 chapters on the Roman Forum and 1 on the Palatine Hill). For some general history on various aspects of life in ancient Rome, I also enjoyed The Ancient Roman City (John Stambough).

Paul

Definitely read Brunelleschi's Dome about the Duomo in Florence.

For Florence read "The Stones of Florence" by Mary McCarthy, an old classic, and "Brunelleschi's Dome" about the design competition and the construction of the dome of the Duomo. "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling" is about painting the Sistine Chapel, the problems with the fresco technique, and the physical labors of painting the ceiling. And the politics among artists for the attention of the Pope. (But no really good photos of the ceiling in the book! You have to get a picture book out of the library or something. Make sure it shows the frescos since they were cleaned.)

For Venice, I really like the detective series by Donna Leon, which gives a modern-day sensibility to being in the place. And about 50 years ago Mary McCarthy also wrote "Venice Observed" which is kind of strange but intriguing.

Something more mathematical is "The Sun in the Cathedral" by Heilbron, about European Cathedrals as solar observatories. Florence and Rome are among the places discussed.

A year or so ago Steven Saylor published "Roma" which is a history of Rome disguised as a historical novel. It has several illustrations of the development over time of the Forum and the hills surrounding it. Although the fictional part of the book is a little disappointing, it is a good intro to the history. And for touring, "City Secrets: Rome" in which artists, writers, archaeologists and historians tell about their favorite things in Rome. (This includes restaurants, gelato shops, and the like as well as antiquities and art.)

Charnee

If you can find a used copy, the Companion Guide to Rome is a great read, with a historical emphasis on sightseeing. Another oldie but goodie is H.V. Morton's "Rome."

"The Romans" by Donald Dudley is a good short history of republican Rome and the early empire. If you're interested in historical novels set in imperial Rome, try "Augustus" by John Edward Williams, "Memoirs of Hadrian" by Margaret Youcenar, "Imperium" and "Pompei" by Robert Harris, and "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God" by Robert Graves. For a history of Venice, try "A History of Venice" by John Julius Norwich. For a lighter take on Venice, there's a detective series by Donna Leon and a detective mystery "Dead Lagoon" by Michael Dibdin. And finally, if you look around in books on the history of engineering, you should find lots of stuff about Roman road building and about the Romans' use of concrete.

wow, thank you so much for the replies! I'm going to start looking for copies of these books.

sjj

How "light" are Donna Leon and Michael Dibdin? Is one or the other less light? Serious question. DH might enjoy one of these but I would prefer to gift him with the better writer. Which would you suggest?

A lot of my favorites (Robert Graves, Mary McCarthy, John Williams Augustus and the Ross King books) have been mentioned.
The old BBC series of I Claudius with Derek Jacobi is another excellent way to enjoy that story.

Some other good books:
The Name of the Rose-Umberto Eco
Gore Vidal's Julian
The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr (about a missing Carravagio painting)
The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini and the Rivalry that Transformed Rome by Jake Morrissey
City of Falling Angels by John Brerendt
(Venice)
the Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland

I also really liked Tim Parks' books about Italy: Italian Neighbors, An italian Education and a Season with Verona (about soccer)

For mysteries I would say the Dibdin Aurelio Zen mysteries are a little "less light" than the Donna Leon series. My husband doesn't read many mysteries but he likes Dibdin. Dibdin's books are set in different parts of Italy; Dead Lagoon is the one about Venice but Aurelio moves around quite a lot.
For mysteries set in Rome David Hewson's are quite good
Magdalen Nabb wrote mysteries set in Florence

In my opinion, neither Donna Leon nor Michael Dibdin is "light". Both writers uncover/explore underlying social ills. Dibdin - RIP, he died earlier this year - is, I think, the better writer.

"Michelangelo and the Pope's Cieling" for Rome is very good so I put in a second vote for that book. For Florence, "The Agony and The Ecstacy" is wonderful.

A perfect book for Pompeii (especially from an engineer's point of view) would be Robert Harris' POMPEII. I took it with me last year when we visited the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii and it was a fabulous fictional (but full of interesting details) account of what preceded the ruins you'll be seeing.

From one engineer to another:

<i>A History of Engineering in Classical &amp; Medieval Times</i>, by Donald Hill (Routledge 1996). Although it is not Italy-specific, it spends a lot of time detailing the technology developed by ancient Rome. It's more of a &quot;what&quot; and &quot;how&quot; book than a &quot;where&quot; book, but it will make you appreciate all of the engineering that the Romans developed or implemented -- concrete, arches, project management, aqueducts, etc.

Oddly enough, I bought this book in an English bookstore a block or two off Via Condotti in Rome.

Excellent topic. My husband who is also an engineer will appreciate these books.

There is a topic just started from globetrekka who is searching for sights/activities that are &quot;engineer &amp; alternative-energy related&quot;

another thread with lots of suggestions about books about/set in Italy from earlier this year
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34410488

Zerlina
Thank you for the recommendation. I referred to those as light because I usually think of all mysteries, especially series mysteries, as somewhat lighter than my own reading tastes, and because, in the context of some other books, sjj said these were &quot;lighter.&quot;

I have just ordered Dead Lagoon for DH on half.com. I think he will be very happy to have it, and I am happy to hear that these mystery writers are good ones.

sjj and Zerlina, thank you both.

Not a book, but a post (somewhat long) by our Fodor's resident expert on the Roman forum.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34713215

I believe he has a very detailed post about Pompeii also. Do a search for Paradiselost and you should be able to find it.

jdraper - I loved &quot;The Agony and The Ecstacy&quot; and echo your recommendation. I read it when traveling to Florence.

Donna Leon books are quick reading. I read one a day for five days last week (had a week off work). I liked them better than McCarthy for a sense of the current state of and issues in Venice. (Though I find McCarthy the superior writer.)

Sutonius which Robert Graves relied on heavily as well as Italo Calvino, Primo Levi, and Dario Fo.

For translations from Italian to English, William Weaver is recognized as one of the finest. As is Gregory Rabasa for Spanish to English translations.