Crystal King's Favorite Fiction Books Set In Italy
By Crystal King
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.
The Chef's Secret
Crystal King
$17.99 $16.73I'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.
Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome
Crystal King
$17.00 $15.81This 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.
The Night Portrait: A Novel of World War II and Da Vinci's Italy
Laura Morelli
$16.99 $15.80The 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.
The Woman in Red
Diana Giovinazzo
$28.00 $26.04A stunning novel about a woman whose impact spanned continents and countries. Anita began her life as a revolutionary when she met Giuseppi Garibaldi, who was then the leader of the Brazilian resistance. She would then follow him, not to the ends of the earth, but to Italy, his native land, where he paved the way for Italy's unification. It's a story of love and romance, family and friends, and town and country--and what one will do to protect those things at all costs.
Raphael, Painter in Rome
Stephanie Storey
$24.99 $23.24A delightful first-person story from one of Rome's most famous painters.
Borgia Confessions
Alyssa Palombo
$20.99 $19.52The latest from Alyssa Palombo, in which she turns our notion of bad-boy Cesare Borgia on its end.
The Confessions of Young Nero
Margaret George
$18.00 $16.74Was 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.
The Hunger Saint
Olivia Kate Cerrone
$12.00Sicily'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.
Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World
Anthony Doerr
$17.00 $15.81You 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.
The Lion and the Rose
Kate Quinn
$16.00 $14.88Kate 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.
Florence in Ecstasy
Jessie Chaffee
$16.00 $14.88A young woman's quest to find herself emotionally--and physically--in a city where food is means more than just sustenance.
The Gondola Maker
Laura Morelli
$16.49 $15.34The 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.
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
Lori Nelson Spielman
$17.00 $15.81A book about love and sisterhood set against the backdrop of il bel paese.
The Chef's Apprentice (Reissue)
Elle Newmark
$24.99Sadly, 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.
Metamorphoses (Revised)
Ovid
$12.00 $11.16The Roman myths that inspired countless other tales. This translation is absolutely beautiful and brings out Ovid's mastery of story.
The Scribe of Siena
Melodie Winawer
$17.99 $16.73A time-traveling love story that takes place in the midst of the Black Plague that nearly wipes out Siena.
The Lying Life of Adults
Elena Ferrante
$26.00 $24.18Ferrante'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.
I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54
Robert Graves
$19.00 $17.67A masterpiece of fiction that has inspired movies, television and plays. Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down.
The Satyricon
Petronius
$12.95 $12.04The 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.
I Am Livia
Phyllis T. Smith
$14.95 $13.90A look at the world of Ancient Rome through the eyes of Livia, one of the most infamous women in history.
Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome
Steven Saylor
$21.99 $20.45Roma is a sweeping novel that spans centuries of la bella citta.
Pompeii
Robert Harris
$17.00 $15.81Robert Harris takes the reader through the days leading up to, and through the eruption that buried the city.
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
Italo Calvino
$18.99 $17.66A heady, romantic, avant-garde novel that takes a bit to wrap your head around. Each word Calvino writes is a joy.
The Birth of Venus
Sarah Dunant
$17.00 $15.81One of the first historical books set in Italy that I read. Dunant's works are an inspiration for me and my writing.
Visit my site at crystalking.com for more on me, my books, Italy, and food history.