The Best Books Set in Italy to Satisfy Travel Cravings

1. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

After the death of her mother, Katy is devastated, losing not just a parent but her closest confidante. Struggling with grief, she faces the daunting prospect of going on a long-planned trip to Positano alone, a place that held special significance for her mother.

However, upon arriving at the Amalfi Coast, Katy feels her mother’s presence more strongly than ever, and in a miraculous twist, encounters her mother, Carol, as a vibrant, thirty-year-old woman.

As they spend time together, Katy discovers a different side of Carol, forcing her to reconcile the wise, all-knowing mother she knew with the younger, uncertain woman before her.

Read my review of One Italian Summer here.

2. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

In Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert recounts her yearlong journey of self-discovery after a midlife crisis. Leaving behind her successful but unfulfilling life, she travels to Rome for pleasure, India for spiritual devotion, and Bali for balance.

Along the way, she finds healing, purpose, and unexpected love, ultimately reclaiming her own happiness.

Read my review of Eat Pray Love here.

3. Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr

From the award-winning author of The Shell Collector and About Grace comes an evocative memoir of the timeless beauty of Rome and the day-to-day wonderment of living, writing, and raising twin boys in a foreign city.

4. The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza

In The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza, Sara Marsala, reeling from the failure of her business and marriage, finds new purpose when her great-aunt Rosie’s death uncovers a family secret.

Inherited land in Sicily and the suspicion that her great-grandmother Serafina was murdered propel Sara on a thrilling journey through the Italian countryside to solve the mystery and claim her birthright.

As she uncovers Serafina’s fight for a better life in the early 1900s, Sara faces the same dangers that threatened her ancestor.

5. The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani

In The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani, Matelda Cabrelli, the aging matriarch of her family, is determined to reveal a long-held secret about her mother Domenica’s past before it’s too late.

Domenica’s story, spanning from pre-World War II Italy to Scotland and wartime Liverpool, is marked by love, loss, and resilience.

As Matelda shares this history with her daughter and granddaughter, the family’s past and present intertwine, leading to surprising revelations and a profound exploration of identity, belonging, and redemption.

6. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter is a #1 New York Times bestseller telling the story of a near-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962 and resurfaces fifty years later in Hollywood.

Spanning from the glamorous set of Cleopatra to the eclectic Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the back lots of modern Hollywood. This novel is a vibrant and deeply human exploration of flawed characters chasing their unlikely dreams.

Praised for its humor, romance, and inventiveness, Beautiful Ruins is a dazzling roller coaster of a story that captivates both literary and historical fiction fans.

7. She Seduced Me: A Love Affair With Rome by Mark Tedesco

She Seduced Me is a nonfiction journey through the enchanting city of Rome where the reader is drawn into a world where art, culture, and history come alive.

Through the author’s eyes, the reader explores iconic sites like Michelangelo’s Moses, the Trevi Fountain, and the Roman Forum, while uncovering the rich stories behind them.

The book invites readers to experience Rome’s vibrant life in the piazzas, its history through all senses, and the unique charm of its inhabitants. It is both an educational and immersive virtual tour that captures the magic of a city that has captivated countless hearts.

8. The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen

In this captivating novel set against the backdrop of WWII Venice, Caroline Grant, reeling from the end of her marriage, embarks on a journey of discovery after inheriting a sketchbook, three keys, and a mysterious final request from her great-aunt Lettie.

As Caroline follows Lettie’s wishes to scatter her ashes in Venice, she uncovers the secrets of Lettie’s past.

Beginning in 1938 when art teacher Juliet Browning arrived in the city and rekindled a forbidden love with Leonardo Da Rossi. As war looms, their love faces impossible challenges leaving behind a legacy that Caroline must now unravel, leading to her own path of self-discovery.

9. Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes

Frances Mayes entered a wondrous new world when she began restoring an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside.

There were unexpected treasures at every turn. Faded frescos beneath the whitewash in her dining room, a vineyard under wildly overgrown brambles in the garden, and, in the nearby hill towns, vibrant markets and delightful people.

In Under the Tuscan Sun, she brings the lyrical voice of a poet, the eye of a seasoned traveler, and the discerning palate of a cook and food writer to invite readers to explore the pleasures of Italian life and to feast at her table.

10. The Commissario Brunetti series by Donna Leon

In The Waters of Eternal Youth, the 25th novel in Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti series, the Venetian inspector is drawn into a peculiar case involving a tragic incident from fifteen years ago.

A teenage girl fell into a canal and nearly drowned, suffering brain damage that left her in a state of permanent childhood. Although a drunken bystander once claimed to have seen her pushed, his memory is unreliable.

Now, at the request of the girl’s grandmother, Brunetti agrees to investigate, despite doubts about whether a crime was committed or if it can still be prosecuted.

Immersed in the complexities of Venetian life, Brunetti delves into a haunting story of loss and unresolved guilt.