five books to transport you to italy today

for all the literate women
*in no particular order

The Good Left Undone

Adriana Trigiani

Historical Fiction. Strong (feisty) female lead. Can’t put it down.

My favorite… For when you just want to get wrapped up and lost in good storytelling. I could go on and on about how much I love the way Adriana tells a story, clearly, as it’s a line from this very book that inspired the name of this silly little blog. The Good Left Undone is about family, mothers and daughter, and the strongest and feistiest female lead I’ve ever fallen in love with in a novel. It has everything you could hope for in a story, her words truly transport you to Italy so well you can taste the hot bomboloni. Punctuated with some eye-opening facts on the history of the Italians living in Europe went through during WWII, it’s such a well balanced read. Pick it up immediately.

One Italian Summer

Rebecca Serle

Fiction. Fun. Beach read. Light and easy.

This one is perfect when you’re in the mood for something breezy and colorful. Rebecca tells a quasi time-traveller style story set on the Amalfi Coast anchored by a daughter’s relationship with her mother who has recently passed. A star of the novel is the real life hotel in Positano, Hotel Poseidon, and the family that runs it. There’s love, good food, gorgeous sweeping descriptions of the coastline and a general affair with Italy found between the pages. I think you’ll really enjoy it.

From Scratch

Tembi Locke

Non-fiction Memoir. Love. Heartbreak. Healing. Rebuilding.

Many of us have come to know this story from the recently Netflix series of the same title, From Scratch, tells the real and full story of Tembi’s life spherically. Know before picking this one up that it will hit you to your core, it will make you fall in love (even more) with Italy (and Italians) and will likely make you cry… But my favorite thing about her memoir is how it’s truly a lesson that in our lives the more things we do, the more things that happen to us whether good or bad, and the bravery it takes for us to persevere leaves us better for it in the end.

See You In The Piazza

Frances Mayes

Non-fiction. Travel. Informative. American in Italy.

From the same author that gave us the gift of her memoir Under the Tuscan Sun (1996), Frances takes you through all regions of Italy with her family, showcasing how diverse each is from the other. What I loved most about this is she dives deeper into regions and towns less traveled, sharing what there is to love about the less-tourist-desired destinations. This was written pre-Covid so some establishments and details may have changed, but the heart and soul of her love for these regions remains the same.

How To Be Italian

Maria Pasquale

Perfect Coffee Table Book. Gorgeous. Light. Great gift.

Maria is an award winning journalist, born in Australia to two Italian parents and currently living in Rome. Her book is the perfect blend of informative and light, fun reading in a beautiful press. Everything from Italian phrases, ways of life, how to eat drink and dress are covered. I’d compare it to the fun I had reading How to be Parisian Wherever You Are, which will always live on my nightstand.