Jackie

I recently received (for Christmas) the book "Italy in Mind" which is a collection of short stories, essays, and poetry about Italy by famous authors such as Hemmingway, DH Lawrence, Mary McCarthy, and more. Thus far it has really held my attention, and it is interesting to read the different travelogues. <BR> <BR>My question is--does anyone have any suggestions for other travel narratives to read? I'm excited mostly about Italy, but also other places in Europe would be interesting to ready about--probably most likely Greece and England and Ireland, since I've been to these places. Any ideas? Anyone read "Desiring Italy"? I am interested in reading that, but wondering if it is any good. Also novels about Italy? I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks! <BR> <BR>geocities.com/j_goyette/t.html

Joe

I received Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon as well. He did the "letter from Paris" piece in the New Yorker until recently. He's a cultural essayist rather than a travel writere, and he likes to draw big conclusions, sometimes on shaky principles. Overall, however, he's insightful and does a good job contrasting the U.S. and France.

Danna

I just got "Round Ireland with a Fridge" by Tony Hawks. It's a hoot. This guy on a (drunken) bet hitchhikes with a small fridge. Enjoyed it alot.

Josh

I love Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence"; the first of a series of essays on life in Southern France. A great non-travel book by Mayle is "Acquired Tastes"...very entertaining.

steve

The Royal Road to Romance by Richard Halliburton (round the world in early 1920's) <BR>and <BR>A Vagabond Journey Around the World by Harry Franck (early 1900's) <BR> <BR>BOth facinating in similar, but different ways. Both went on to become two of the premier travel writers from 1900-1940

jo ann

One that my husband and I enjoyed enormously is perhaps in the vein of "Round Ireland with a Fridge". It's called "A Walk Across France" by Miles Morland. A mid-40's British fellow, burned out on his job, abruptly quits and needs an adventure before rejoining the working world. Convinces his French wife to join him; she suggests a walk, and nixes his idea of crossing Africa but agrees to France. They set off with absolutely no training...it's great fun, and gives interesting insights of southern/mid France. I have also given it as gifts, usually to good "thanks".

Jerry Yares

Jackie: <BR> <BR>Some travel books that I've enjoyed recently include Peter Mayles' two sequels, Toujours Provence and Encore Provence; Frances Mayes did a similar job for Tuscany in her Under The Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany; a newish book entitled A Goose in Toulouse; and if you want laughs with your travels try Bill Bryson's Notes From a Small Island and Neither Here Nor There. A classic, if you can find it, is Westward Ha! by the brilliant humorist S. J. Perelman, a literate Dave Barry.

jwagner

People who love travel writing might was to pick up a copy of Best Travel Writing 2000. A lovely collection. Bill Bryson fans will be interested in knowing that he edited this year's edition.

Jeanette

Can't remember the author's name but read a very good one about two years ago called, A YEAR OFF. Married couple and their very young children sell all and take a year off traveling and end up in Australia. It's a good travelogue and has some some excellent European and African adventures in it. The wife had relatives in Italy and in India, if I remember correctly. A good read!

Christina

I am a big Bill Bryson fan, also, his "island" book is about England. Also, I'm a Tony Horwitz fan (not everything he writes is travel, but his book Baghdad without a Map and Other Misadventures in Arabia is very good). I don't have much about Italy except the aforementioned. I love MFKFisher about France (I have tons of books in the France subject area). Mary Morris is great, her book about traveling/living in Mexico on her own is terrific (Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone); she also edited a collection of travel writing by women by I've not read it. I did just read The Conformist by Alberto Moravia not long ago, which is a good novel about Italy after WWII and Fascism and psychosexual problems and obsessions, the usual, but I'm sure not to everyone's taste. There was lots of recent gloomy Irish memoirs around which I sort of got tired of (and I wouldn't go see the movie of that man's novel Frank something) but I did really like the one by a woman (Nuala O'Faolain's "Are You Somebody?").

Joanna

I can highly recommend Paul Theroux's "Pillars of Hercules" - from Gibraltar right around the Mediterranean to Morocco, looking back towards Gibraltar. He tries to stick as close to the sea as possible and not use aeroplanes. A very informative and amusing read.

Shanna

If you don't mind stereotyping, bigotry, sarcasm, and insults along with an interesting travelogue, try Mark Twain's "Innocents Abroad." What a total hoot; I fell out of my seat laughing. Definitely NOT PC - today he wouldn't be able to get a publisher. Another interesting read is Margery Kemp's memoirs. She was a medieval mother of 10 who made the pilgrimage to the Holy Land at a time when women usually didn't go and certainly not alone. It's fascinating and amusing reading - and would make a great movie if produced by Mel Brooks.

rudy

Jackie: <BR> <BR>An eloquent memoir by Susan Brind Morrow titled "The Names of Things: Life, Language, and Beginnings in the Egyptian Desert" is a wonderfully descriptive book about the author's childhood in New York, as well as her travels through the Egyptian desert. I've never read a book about travel that is as enthralling as this one.

lisa

Jackie -- I once took a course at Georgetown from the editor of the book you mentioned, "Italy In Mind," Alice Leccese Powers (I think that's her name?). She is a delightful person. <BR> <BR>I would also recommend the book "Italian Days" by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison <BR> <BR>In an entirely different vein, it's not exactly a travel narrative, but David Sedaris (who can sometimes be heard on NPR) has a hilarious book out right now called "Me Talk Pretty One Day," -- most of the essays in it deal with his experiences as an American living in France. Some of his humor is on the blue side but all of it makes me laugh out loud.

Jim Tardio

I can't think of any narratives that haven't already been mentioned above, but perhaps you'd be interested in some photos of Italy....they say a picture is worth a thousand words: www.jimtardio.com/italy.html

Jackie

Italian days sounds good--so does that Mark Twain one. I'll also have to check out those mentioned pictures. Thanks everyone. Anyone read Journey to Italy by Heinrich Heine?

JP

Hi, <BR> <BR>i just received STARTING WITH TUSCANY by giavanna peel. she grew up in tuscany and then goes back after something like 25 years away. i haven't read any reviews but i'll let you know if i enjoy it. I've also looked at MIDNIGHT IN SICILY by peter robb [mostly about the corruption in sicily etc] which i've heard good things about. i have read UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN and BELLA TUSCANY [frances mayes] as well as HILLS OF TUSCANY [Ferenc Mate]. As well as AN ITALIAN EDUCATION and ITALIAN NEIGHBOURS[tim park] - written by an brit who married an italian and talks about their life and kids in verona. I've also seen <BR>Trapped in Tuscany [a WWII story] but haven't read it. <BR>hth <BR>jp

SharonM

"A Cottage In Portugal" by Richard Hewitt. <BR> <BR>...Story of a couple who sells their home in New England to "get away from the 9-5 routine". They buy a fixer-upper near Sintra, Portugal (one of my favorite places). The book is a humorous recount of property rehabilitation in an incredibly sluggish bureaucracy. <BR> <BR>Having done the same thing (minus the house) of quiting my job and selling everything to live a year in Portugal, I could relate to much of the spirit of the book and their experiences with the local Portuguese and its bureaucracy. <BR> <BR>

Jeff

An offering and a question: Candide by Voltaire is humorous, albeit fictional. Not a narrative, per se, but it involves tons of travel, although it doesn't necessarily go into much detail about any particular location. It, too, probably is not PC, but it is interesting to see how certain stereotypes regarding European cultures have survived. To expand the original post: Does anyone have any internet travel narratives that they would recommend. <BR>

Miane

Dear Jackie, <BR>I know it's been mentioned many times on this forum but a wonderful book to read, especially if you're interested in Italy etc., is Louis de Bernieres' "Corelli's mandolin"--Another one of my pet books is Alexis Curvers' "Tempo di Roma". Both are fun, instructive and delightful reads.