Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
Tuscany
Florence: The Golden Age 1138-1737 • History • Lavishly illustrated and written by a highly regarded historian, this wonderful coffee-table book skillfully relates the story of Florence’s Golden Age and how the city on the Arno became one of the most glorious civilizations the world has known.
Fodor’s Florence’s 25 Best • Fodor’s • Guidebook • This shirt-pocket guide includes an excellent map and essential information on the city’s highlights, including sightseeing, restaurants and shopping.
Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria • James Ladsun • Pia Davis • Guidebook • A practical guide to walking and eating your way through the region, this book includes 40 suggested itineraries, mostly day hikes, with maps, details on local attractions, and illustrations.
The Sixteen Pleasures • Robert Hellenga • Novel • Margot, a young American who is a specialist in book conservation, goes to Florence to offer assistance after the devastating flood of 1966. Seeking passion and adventure, she gets her wish in spades when a nun places into her hands a pornographic volume bound as a prayer book. This is a great read for anyone who loves books, art, and Florence. Robert Hellenga’s skill at writing from a woman’s perspective is impressive.
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind • Beppe Severgnini • Cultural Portrait • Hugely popular in Italy, this guide to the Italian character addresses the apparently never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. Severgnini opens the book with a snapshot of the hubbub at Malpensa Airport, then moves on to Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia.
Too Much Tuscan Sun, Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide • Roberto Rodi • Dario Castagno • Memoir • A hilarious memoir about the author’s experiences as a tour guide in Tuscany. His love for the Chianti region, and its food and wine, along with his memorable clients, make for an intoxicating as well as highly entertaining romp through the much-loved region.
War in Val D’Orcia: An Italian War Diary, 1943-1944 • Iris Origo • Denis Mack Smith • Memoir • This classic recounts daily life at La Foce, a Tuscan farm, during World War II. The author hides prisoners of war, takes in refugee children, and stands up to the Germans.
Italy in Mind • Alice Powers • Literature • A terrific collection of some of the best literary writing on Italy, including pieces by Melville, Lawrence, Henry James, Mary McCarthy and many others.
Rick Steves’ Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary • Rick Steves • Phrasebook • This compact phrase book, organized thematically and with a brief dictionary, also includes Steves’ insight into how to break the ice and make friends around the world.
The Food of Italy • Waverly Root • Food • Evocative of Italy and its diverse cuisine, this classic book, organized geographically, offers a cook’s tour of the country. It’s a well-informed and wonderful culinary guide
Sicily
Mattanza • Theresa Maggio • Travel Narrative • An eloquent tribute to a unique community on the island of Favignana. The author recounts the lives of the men who work the giant tuna traps and who accepted her as a part of their decidedly masculine circle. The hunt for the Blue Fin Tuna, that extends far back into prehistory, is a ritual that is dying but Theresa Maggio brings it vibrantly to life in this book.
Between Salt Water and Holy Water, A History of Southern Italy • Tommaso Astarita • History • Astarita captures the fanfare, rivalry and changing fortunes of Sicily from antiquity through Norman, Spanish and Bourbon rule to unification and the 20th century.
Italian Days • Barbara Grizzuti Harrison • Travel Narrative • Grizzuti Harrison writes with warmth and depth of her journey from Milan south to Calabria in this sprightly account of Italy and the Italians.
On the Shores of the Mediterranean • Eric Newby • Travel Narrative • A sparkling observer and famously entertaining, Newby tackles the Mediterranean in this classic account of travels to North Africa, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cairo and Jerusalem.
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind • Beppe Severgnini • Cultural Portrait • Hugely popular in Italy, this guide to the Italian character addresses the apparently never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. The book covers Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia.
The Odyssey • Homer • Robert Fagles • Literature • Translator Robert Fagles captures the poetry and power of The Odyssey in this translation, celebrated for its clarity and expressiveness.
Rick Steves’ Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary • Rick Steves • Phrasebook • This compact phrase book, organized thematically and with a brief dictionary, also includes Steves’ insight into how to break the ice and make friends around the world.
The Food of Italy • Waverly Root • Food • Evocative of Italy and its diverse cuisine, this classic book, organized geographically, offers a cook’s tour of the country. It’s a well-informed and wonderful culinary guide.
