The thread on "Under the Tuscan Sun" got me wondering about other good reads about Italy. I'm looking for a wonderful book to get me in the mood for my trip in October to Tuscany and Florence, and I'm wondering if anyone has any favorites other than the Frances Mayes books. Thanks in advance!

--Nicole

Not a novel, but I really loved Paul Hofmann's "The Seasons of Rome: A Journal"

There's another thread on the same topic that has a lot of great suggestions. You can find it at:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34410488

Thanks, Capo and Bree. Just went to that thread and found that wonderful list. Sorry, everyone, for posting a request that has been discussed at length in the past... I'm a newbie here and still trying to get the hang of it all!

--Nicole

I enjoyed " Vanilla Beans & Brodo".

I think the movie Enchanted April was adapted from a book of same name; surely it would be a charming read!

A really good mystery set in Rome is Angels and Demons, by Ron Brown. He wrote The DaVinci Code, which is at the top of bestseller lists right now. Angels and Demons is on the paperback bestseller list. The story line goes all over Rome, through churches and other historical sites. Lots of background and information.

LOYL, I went to the library yesterday and found the book Angels and Demons by Ron Brown, it is very interesting, I love it.I put my name on the waiting list for Da Vinci Code also, perphas by the end of the month I will be able to read it.

We thoroughly enjoy all of Tim Parks books -- Italian Neighbors and Italian Neighbors, (about his family life outside of Verona). A Season in Verona, about the soccer team's season. and he's also got some really offbeat fiction that he sets in Italy, too.

I enjoy the guide book written by an American tourist called
"Speeka Englisha anda Wherea Area Mya Meataballsa"

I second and third Angels and Demons. I loved it, even more so than DaVinci Code!

Also, as I'm sure I've said in other posts, The Agony and the Ecstasy is fabulous (my favorite book, actually) and a must read for any trip to Florence.

You're right- I liked Angels and Demons better, too. And now I feel like I've already been to Rome once. I want to go to the churches and sites and search for 'the clues'.

LOYL -- I had to laugh at your post, because on my last trip to Scotland, I dragged my friend to Rosslyn to see the cathedral just because I had just finished DaVinci Code! It was very interesting and well worth the hike.

Back on topic -- If I were headed to Rome now, I'd save Angels & Demons for the flight over...to see all the fountains, churches and St. Paul's now, with those images in my mind would blow me away!

Other books that are similar to the Tuscan Sun/Bella Tuscany pair are a book whose title I forgot but is by Ferenc Mate (sp?) and deals with buying a house in Montepulciano, and "A Valley in Umbria" by Lisa de Teran. The story in "Valley" is wonderful but the prose style isn't my cup of tea. It's High British and Queen's English (pun intended on the "cup of tea" part! ;-) ).

A more traveloguish book is "Piazzas and Pizzas".