Just got back from Italy, and in my quest to hang on to the memories, I thought I might purchase a couple of books to read that might remind me of our trip. I know of Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, but any other suggestions?

My suggestions are: "Extra Virgin" by Annie Hawes about 2 sisters from England that move to a small, backward Italian Riviera town; and "Pasquale's Nose" by Michael Rip about a Nebraska native and his young family living in Sutri, Italy. Both are charming books about Italy that have not been over-publicized like Frances Mayes' books. I liked "Extra Virgin" the best.

I really enjoyed A Thousand Days in Venice.

Here is a thread with 91 answers to it; there must be very few books set in Italy that are not named in it.

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

"Growing up in Tuscany". I just read it but can't remember the author. It was a fascinating look at life in Tuscany before, during, and after the world wars.

And don't forget E M Forster's Classic A ROOM WITH A VIEW about a young English girl who travels to Italy.

Also D. H. Lawrence's DH LAWRENCE & ITALY which contains 3 books in 1 -- TWILIGHT IN ITALY, SEA & SARDINIA, and ETRUSCAN PLACES.

And WITHIN TUSCANY by Matthew Spender.

A tongue in cheek fun book is Piazzas and Pizzas (Adventues of the Clean Plate Club in Italy) by Jan Kubik.

Italian Days by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison is an interesting book. It's her trip to Italy and her impressions of the cities she visits.

Neither are novels, but you might enjoy one or both.

I second A Thousand Days in Venice by Maria de Blasi. True recounting of an American woman who meets and marries a Venetian.

I highly recommend Robert Hellenga's *The Fall of a Sparrow*. Have fun reading!

Oh! Forgot to mention the classic book by Charles Dickens, "Pictures from Italy" -- it is written from Dickens' travels throughout the Italian Riviera, Genoa, Rome, etc and is quite interesting to see Italy through his eyes in the 1840s.

"Miss Garnet's Angel" is a lovely story with a wonderful Venice setting. Miss Garnet is a retired English spinster who spends 6 months in Venice and changes her outlook on life.

E. M. Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread is not as popular as Room with a View, but it's also definitely worthwhile.

An Italian Affair by Laura Fraser

The Dark Heart of Italy by Tobias Jones (non fiction and I don't recommend reading unless you have already been to Italy)

Another great one that I forgot to mention! 'North of Naples, South of Rome' by Paolo Tullio....it's a memoir of Paolo's life in Italy's Comino Valley, instructions on how to haggle t market day, and the charms and scams of Naples. Very funny book, I just bought it and am reading it now.

"Tuscan Soup" by Lou Wakefield. A little known novel, but good enough to be serialised on the BBC. Its strength is in the well drawn characters, but its description of Tuscan towns and their churches is sublime.

I would add also A Green Existence by Jonathan Radford and the now famous Too Much Tuscan Sun

For the contemporary view...
Dances with Luigi; Vanilla Beans & Brodo (about Montalcino) by Isabella Dusi and its sequel Bel Vino (focus on Brunello); Annie Hawes's Extra Virgin (about Liguria) and its sequel Ripe for the Picking.

Try these 2 books from Eric Newby. Love & War in the Appenines about his experiences as an escaped prisoner in Italy during WWII. Also A Small Place in Italy.

Cornelia Funke's - The Thief Lord. Her descriptions of Venice are fantastic.

Angels and Demons by The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown takes place primarily in Rome. It's fun to guess the locations of future murders by the clues.