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By Crystal King

When I can't be in Italy, I want to write about Italy, and read about Italy. I want to live vicariously through the words of others; walk the streets that Michelangelo walked; sit in the same cafe that Goethe, Keats and Byron frequented; and admire the walls that Raphael painted. I want to hear the stories that families like the Borgias, Barberini, Colonna and Orsini inspired. I want to read about the artists that the Medici and Farnese bankrolled. I want to read the fairy tales of the land that I love with all my heart. 
 

And if I can introduce these books to others? Even better. The following list contains some of my favorite books set in Italy. It will change and grow over time. It is arbitrary, it is subjective, and it is a list of my own making. Note that I'm not taking requests for additions to it. 
 

bookcover for The Chef's Secret

The Chef's Secret

Crystal King 

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Paperback

$21.99

$20.45

I'm rather partial to this book, for obvious reasons. :-) It's a love story, a mystery and a tale of decadent popes, princes and the chef that fed them all.

bookcover for Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome

Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome

Crystal King 

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Paperback

$19.99

$18.59

This book was my first labor of love. Apicius was the world's first famous gourmand. He lived a luxurious life and had a wild, tragic death. I tell the story of how he got there.

bookcover for The Night Portrait: A Novel of World War II and Da Vinci's Italy

The Night Portrait: A Novel of World War II and Da Vinci's Italy

Laura Morelli 

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Paperback

$16.99

$15.80

The Night Portrait is an astonishing, epic tale that seamlessly spans centuries of history and art, encompassing the beauty of the Renaissance and the horrible truths of Nazi Germany. Masterfully imagined and unforgettable, this riveting novel shows us the power of art to bring hope in a world of despair.

bookcover for Raphael, Painter in Rome

Raphael, Painter in Rome

Stephanie Storey 

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Hardback

$24.99

$23.24

A delightful first-person story from one of Rome's most famous painters.

bookcover for Borgia Confessions

Borgia Confessions

Alyssa Palombo 

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Paperback

$20.99

$19.51

The latest from Alyssa Palombo, in which she turns our notion of bad-boy Cesare Borgia on its end.

bookcover for The Confessions of Young Nero

The Confessions of Young Nero

Margaret George 

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Paperback

$18.00

$16.74

Was Nero really as horrible as we think him to be? Or just misunderstood? Margaret George paints a fascinating new look at the emperor who watched Rome burn.

bookcover for The Hunger Saint

The Hunger Saint

Olivia Kate Cerrone 

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Other

$12.00

$11.16

Sicily's past is a tough one, particularly for the boys working in the sulfur mines. A short book, but one that will remain long in your memory.

bookcover for Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World

Anthony Doerr 

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Paperback

$17.99

$16.73

You may know Doerr from his other stunning novel, but lovers of Rome will love his poignant observations from the time he spent in the Eternal City after winning the Rome Prize.

bookcover for The Lion and the Rose

The Lion and the Rose

Kate Quinn 

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Paperback

$16.00

$14.88

Kate Quinn has a number of books out, but I'm partial to this series, which features a different take on Bartolomeo Scappi, the famous chef I wrote about in my novel, THE CHEF'S SECRET. Intrigue, mystery, scandal and love affairs galore.

bookcover for Florence in Ecstasy

Florence in Ecstasy

Jessie Chaffee 

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Other

$16.00

$14.88

A young woman's quest to find herself emotionally--and physically--in a city where food is means more than just sustenance.

bookcover for The Gondola Maker

The Gondola Maker

Laura Morelli 

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Paperback

$16.49

$15.34

The first book I read by Laura Morelli, about a young gondola maker. It's a love story with an eye-opening dash of Venetian history on the side.

bookcover for The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

Lori Nelson Spielman 

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Paperback

$17.00

$15.81

A book about love and sisterhood set against the backdrop of il bel paese.

bookcover for The Chef's Apprentice (Reissue)

The Chef's Apprentice (Reissue)

Elle Newmark 

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Paperback

$24.99

Sadly, the world is without Elle Newmark now. She was a brilliant food writer and one of the people who dipped deep into Italy's past and left a lasting mark on me.

bookcover for Metamorphoses (Revised)

Metamorphoses (Revised)

Ovide, 

David Raeburn, 

Denis Feeney 

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Paperback

$12.00

$11.16

The Roman myths that inspired countless other tales. This translation is absolutely beautiful and brings out Ovid's mastery of story.

bookcover for The Scribe of Siena

The Scribe of Siena

Melodie Winawer 

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Paperback

$18.99

$17.66

A time-traveling love story that takes place in the midst of the Black Plague that nearly wipes out Siena.

bookcover for The Lying Life of Adults

The Lying Life of Adults

Elena Ferrante, 

Ann Goldstein 

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Hardback

$26.00

$24.18

Ferrante's newest novel is a page-turner and a deep look into the life of a young girl discovering the layers of lies her father and his family have developed around them.

bookcover for One Summer Day in Rome

One Summer Day in Rome

Mark Lamprell 

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Paperback

$21.99

$20.45

A love story, narrated by Rome itself.

bookcover for I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54

I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54

Robert Graves 

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Paperback

$19.00

$17.67

A masterpiece of fiction that has inspired movies, television and plays. Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down.

bookcover for The Satyricon

The Satyricon

Petronius, 

P. G. Walsh 

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Paperback

$12.95

$12.04

The world's first "novel," this is a raucous, wild, sex-filled novel about the bizarre exploits of retired gladiator, Encolpius, and his slave and boyfriend Giton, a handsome sixteen-year-old boy.

bookcover for I Am Livia

I Am Livia

Phyllis T. Smith 

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Other

$14.95

$13.90

A look at the world of Ancient Rome through the eyes of Livia, one of the most infamous women in history.

bookcover for Roma

Roma

Steven Saylor 

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Paperback

$25.00

$23.25

Roma is a sweeping novel that spans centuries of la bella citta.

bookcover for Pompeii

Pompeii

Robert Harris 

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Paperback

$19.00

$17.67

Robert Harris takes the reader through the days leading up to, and through the eruption that buried the city.

bookcover for If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

Italo Calvino 

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Paperback

$18.99

$17.66

A heady, romantic, avant-garde novel that takes a bit to wrap your head around. Each word Calvino writes is a joy.

bookcover for The Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus

Sarah Dunant 

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Paperback

$17.00

$15.81

One of the first historical books set in Italy that I read. Dunant's works are an inspiration for me and my writing.

bookcover for The Course of Honour

The Course of Honour

Lindsey Davis 

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Paperback

$22.99

$21.38

If you love historical mystery, Davis is one of the true masters. This is the book that began them all, the love story of the Emperor Vespasian and Antonia Caenis.

Visit my site at crystalking.com for more on me, my books, Italy, and food history.