Books Set In Italy: A Book List To Help You Armchair Travel

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

At A Glance: set on the Amalfi Coast, mother/daughter relationship, grief/loss of a parent, hint of magical realism, emotional beach read type book

An Italian escape with tantalizing food descriptions for sure but also a story that really resonated with me about a woman working through the grief of losing her mother, while taking the big Italian trip they were supposed to take together in a place that is part of her mother’s story, and inexplicably running into the 30 year old version of her mother.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

At A Glance: set in Naples, literary fiction, set in 1950’s, books about friendship, coming of age, translated fiction, character-driven, slower paced

I would not have ever picked this book up probably if it were not part of a book club I was in many years ago and that would have been a shame because I really love this series. I’ll be honest I was judging it by the cover — thankfully there is a new cover once it became an HBO series instead of this but I used this one so you can feel my pain haha

The crux of the book is about the ever changing friendship between two girls — Lila and Elena — as they grow up in a gritty Naples, Italy in the 1950’s. If you like books about complicated friendships and coming of age stories, I highly recommend this masterpiece. It was just so raw and real plus incredibly atmospheric and well-written.

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti

At A Glance: set on the Amalfi coast, sister story, women’s fiction, alternating POVs, family story, light mystery (trying to follow clues to find out about their mother)

I have always really enjoyed this author’s romance books and this one is more of a women’s fiction type book (with some romance) that I actually just finished reading (along with her book Our Italian Summer which I’ll talk about below) and was excited to add to this list.

Three estranged sisters, upon settling the estate of their recently deceased mother’s house, find out their mom owned a house in Positano, Italy along with a love letters from a mystery man. This shocking discovery sends the three sisters to the Amalfi Coast to find out about their mother’s past and find the man who wrote those letters.

The sisterhood aspect really resonated, it made me a little emotional and the descriptions were VIVID — top tier armchair traveling! I loved the alternating stories — the story of the mom in the past and the three sisters in the present.

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

At A Glance: women’s fiction, mothers & daughters, travel, set in Rome/Assisi/Tuscany

I read this during the winter of 2021 when I most definitely wasn’t going anywhere and it definitely was a nice armchair travel when I needed it desperately about three generations of women, in need of healing, traveling across Italy together. A nice mother-daughter story and perfect way to travel when you can’t actually go anywhere.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

At A Glance: set in Venice, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast, family secrets, sisterhood

I picked this book as my Book of the Month and it was just such a beautiful story of sisters and family as well as a travel-bug inducing read. I loved Aunt Poppy (and getting to read flashbacks of her story) as well as Emilia and her cousin Lucy.

The story of three second-born daughters of a family who travel to Italy to break the family curse that says that second-born daughters will never find love — a curse that a woman in their family cast on her sister 200 years ago and that has proven to be true.

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

At A Glance: set in Ancient Rome, part of a series, historical saga, historical romance

Stop what you are doing and find a copy of this book (and the rest of the series full of strong women!). It’s one of my all time favorites and one of those books I stumbled upon through sheer happenstance when I was perusing a Little Free Library back in 2016 and picked it up on a whim never having really heard of it. Immediately had to get the rest of the series.

Set in first century Rome, it’s about a slave girl who falls in love with a famous gladiator until her jealous mistress destroys it all — a situation that leads her to reinventing herself as a singer and catching the eye of the Emperor of Rome and becoming mistress to this brutal ruler who many have tried to take down.

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline

At A Glance: Set in Rome, WW2 setting, women’s fiction, books with strong friendships

Lisa Scottoline is a local-to-me author and I was SO impressed with her first historical fiction book (if you aren’t familiar with her she’s most known for her mysteries and thrillers!) and looking forward to her next Italy-set historical coming out this year! This one makes a great book club book and definitely one of my favorite historical fictions recently.

It’s about three childhood friends living in Mussolini’s Italy as the dark cloud of Hitler and the Nazis descend on their city of Rome with devastating consequences to the people and our main characters– especially for the Jewish citizens of Rome with one of the friends being Jewish.

It was one of those books that I dove into research/learning mode after (and during) reading it because I didn’t know about this 9 month occupation of Rome by the Nazis.

Juliet by Anne Fortier

At A Glance: set in Siena, set in 1340 Italy and present day, mystery/thrillers in addition to history

I picked this up when I was doing a reading challenge and I’m so glad I did because it definitely wouldn’t have crossed my radar and I am not really super into Romeo & Juliet. Feeling like I need to reread it since it is set in Siena and we are planning to visit on this trip.

It’s about a young woman who, after her beloved aunt dies and gives her a key to a safety deposit box, heads to Italy to dive into her Italian heritage and possibly find an inheritance only to discover she’s a descent of Giulietta Tomei who inspired Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

A great mix of mystery, history & romance as we learn about the ill-fated lovers & their family feud in medieval Siena and Julie’s search for her family’s descendants and possible treasure.

The Borgia Confessions by Alyssa Palombo

At A Glance: 1492 Vatican City, Borgia family, political intrigue, family drama

I’m still forever bummed that Borgias got cancelled so this one was nice to dive back into this infamous family. Told from the perspective of a Vatican palace servant girl (as well as Cesare Borgia) who gets entangled with the Borgia family, it chronicles the rise and fall of the Borgia family.

This author also has two other books set in Italy that I added to my reading list before my trip — The Violinist of Venice and The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence.

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

At A Glance: YA fiction, set in Tuscany/Florence, adventure/sightseeing, for fans of Anna and the French Kiss, good balance of light & emotional, YA summer romances

This has been my go-to beach read recommendation for teens/YA book lovers since it came out and it definitely gave Anna and the French Kiss vibes. Plus there’s 2 other books in the series — one set in Ireland and the other the Greek Islands.

It’s about a teen who, only because it is her mother’s dying wish, moves to Italy to get to know the father she never knew about her whole life — an adventure that will have her discovering Italy in her mother’s footsteps (thanks to her mom’s journal she’s just been given), meeting a charming boy and unearthing a secret that will see her family and life in a whole new light.

Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae

At A Glance: cute/sweet YA romances, light summer read, set mostly in Rome & Pompeii, self discovery, summer adventure

I read this adorable Italy-set young adult book when I was really craving YA fiction set outside of the US and this totally transported me back to Italy with its vivid descriptions — right down to the fact that she went to the same gelato shop I did.

You’ll enjoy the Italian adventure (and sweet romance!) the main character embarks on as she ditches the art program her parents set her to Italy for and has her own Italian summer adventure.

Venom by Fiona Paul

At A Glance: set in Venice, Renaissance Italy setting, YA historical fantasy with a little mystery, part of a series

This was a fun and bingeworthy YA book series – emphasis on fun as it does read exactly like a lot of the post-Twilight YA romance fiction so if that bothers you steer clear but if you want fun and quick — I personally got lost in this one! The first and third book are set in Venice and the second heads to Florence.

It’s about a recently orphaned socialite, engaged to a boy she barely knows to secure her future, who gets caught up in a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies when she finds a murdered woman in her own backyard in addition to a possible chance of freedom and real love.

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough

At A Glance: set in Rome, set in 1610, YA novel in verse, art, sexual assault (seriously trigger warning for rape)

I had no idea who Artemisia Gentileschi was before I read this book but she has remained etched forever in my mind and heart after reading this. One of the most powerful books I’ve read in a long time.

She was a young & accomplished Italian Baroque painter in a time when women did not enter this world. When she is raped by a painter who takes interest in her, she’s forced to decide to stay silent or find her voice & power to bring him to justice.

Definitely read this article to learn more about her after reading this book.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

At A Glance: set in Orvieto (Umbria), slow burn Gothic suspense, murder, parallel timelines that intersect

I listened to this one on audiobook and was totally hooked on this story of two long-time friends who have kind of drifted apart but take a girls trip to an Italian villa with a dark and complicated history with a murder in the 1970’s.

The 1970’s chapters leading up to the murder were so captivating but I also was hooked by the investigation and the tension it caused with the girls plus another mysterious sort of sideplot that I did end up guessing. It’s not one of the most wanderlust-inducing books on this list but I love the glimpse into the village and could totally transport myself to this Italian villa.

The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni

At A Glance: set in the Italian Alps, gothic suspense meets a little horror, little bit creepy, family history, family secrets

This one was such a unique read that surprised me with all its twists and turns and how immersed I was — especially because, when I read it, I saw some pretty mixed reviews. One of those books I’m glad I went with my gut on and not what the masses were saying.

It’s about a woman who finds out she is the last living relative of a wealthy noble family and inherits everything — including the isolated castle in the Italian Alps — but, once there, discovers quite the interesting past to her ancestors and the dark legacy they left behind.

I don’t want to say too much because half the experience was all the discoveries and twists and turns that I could not have anticipated when I started this book.

Stars in an Italian Sky by Jill Santopolo

At A Glance: Genoa (and NYC), dual time-frames in post-war WW2 and present day, starcrossed lovers, family story across generations

I love Jill Santopolo so this one is next up for me as I dive into novels set in Italy in prep for my trip!

A long-kept secret is revealed when a young couple tries to bring their families together after they get engaged only to realize their grandparents know one another very well and had their own story of falling in love in the 1940’s rife with challenges that smashed their future plans. OUT NOW

The Last Masterpiece by Laura Morelli

At A Glance: historical fiction, art history, WW2 setting, inspired by true story

Set in WW2 war-torn Italy, it’s about two women who are both for their own reasons trying to save works of art (looted from the Uffizi Gallery & other Florentine art collections) from Nazi destruction — one a German photographer and the other an American typist. OUT AUGUST 1

Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine

At A Glance: set in Venice, 18th century setting, historical (with a fantastical twist), character-driven, dark academia, for fans of Sarah Waters/Addie LaRue

One of the new releases for 2023 that I am most anticipating! It has a dark fairytale vibe to me and I’m excited for the setting (18th century Venice and an academia setting) and for a Faustian wager/deal type premise. It’s about two girls who are drawn together and ending up, in the hopes of making both of their future dreams come true, making a dangerous wager with huge consequences. OUT JUNE 13

Sally Brady’s Italian Adventure by Christina Lynch

At A Glance: pre-WW2 Italy & wartime Italy (including 1930’s Hollywood), madcap humor, Rome, Siena

I feel like this one is giving me Dear Mrs. Bird vibes — a more light/humorous set book during wartime settings. I could be wrong but that’s what it is giving.

A woman’s glamorous Italian adventure turned mission to save her friends and get herself out of Italy as the war rages when war breaks out. OUT JUNE 13

The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick

At A Glance: feel good fiction/light & easy type read, marriage, found family

I loved The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by this author — absolutely CHARMING and can’t wait for another delight of a book that traverses Italy.

When a relationship expert’s 30 year marriage crumbles when he asks her for a divorce, she invites four heartbroken strangers & listeners of her show to Italy for a vacation (that she was supposed to be an anniversary surprise trip for her husband) of healing and second chances. OUT JUNE 6

Escape to Florence by Kat Devereaux

At A Glance: historical fiction, set in Florence, WW2 (and present day)

Seems like a good one for fans of Julia Kelly & Kate Quinn (like I am)! The story of two women — one a young woman part of her town’s resistance and seemingly vanishes from the record and the young woman, feeling an abusive relationship, who uncovers long buried secrets and discovers the story of a young woman who risked everything during the war. OUT JULY 11

Murder In An Italian Village by Michael Falco

At A Glance: cozy mystery, set on the Amalfi Coast, amateur sleuth

I love a good cozy mystery so I am ready for an Italian-set amateur sleuthing adventure following a widowed B&B owner who discovers a body in one of her bedrooms before opening day and needs to prove nobody there had anything to do with it to save her fledgling business. OUT SEPTEMBER 26