Books About Italy Archives

About The Night Portrait: A New Book About A Da Vinci Painting (August/September 2020)

This article originally appeared in the August/September 2020 issue of Dream of Italy. Laura Morelli is the author of exciting, dual-timeline historical novel, released September 8th, about the creation of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings, Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine, and the woman who fought to save it from Nazi destruction during World War II. Milan, 1492: …

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Tim Parks: “Translating” Italy For Readers (February 2017)

This article appears in the February 2017 issue of Dream of Italy. Updated 2018. You probably know Tim Parks from his lively, witty and extremely well-observed books about Italy, which include Italian Neighbors (1992), An Italian Education (1996) and Italian Ways (2013). In those volumes, the British Parks details his life in his adopted country, where he moved in 1981 after …

Donna Leon’s Venice

This article originally appeared in the June/July 2016 issue of Dream of Italy. Updated 2018. Donna Leon’s Inspector Brunetti novels need little introduction. These mysteries set in Venice have captivated readers since the first, Death at La Fenice, was released in 1992. Leon, born and bred in New Jersey, took her newly minted PhD in English abroad in the late 1960s, settling …

Visiting Commissario Brunetti’s Favorite Places in Venice (From Donna Leon’s Mystery Novels)

This article originally appeared in the June/July 2016 issue of Dream of Italy. Find the main article here. Updated 2018. Faithful Donna Leon readers and devoted Commissario Brunetti fans will recognize many of these places in Venice from her novels. Restaurants Antico Martini Campo Teatro Fenice 2007, 30124 (39) 0415224121 www.anticomartini.com In the 1700s, the posh Ristorante Antico Martini was a posh …

Walking Tours of Commissario Brunetti’s Venice (From Donna Leon’s Mystery Novels)

This article originally appeared in the June/July 2016 issue of Dream of Italy. Find the main article here. Updated 2018. Donna Leon and her friend Toni Sepeda share a love of Venice—but they also share a love of literature, which is what brought them together more than 30 years ago when the two women taught in The University of Maryland European Division …

The Italians: A Fresh Perspective

We interview John Hooper, the author of the new book "The Italians," about what makes the Italian people so compelling, especially as they face some of the most trying times in their history.

Scenes from Italian Life: Colds, Drafts and Germs

Ten years ago, Sam Hilt and his wife Pam Mercer did what so many of us dream of?moved to Tuscany to raise their young children in a simpler culture and started a successful tour business. Their transition hasn't been without hiccups nor plenty of story-producing experiences.

Two Books for Italophiles

We who love Italy also love authenticity. There are dozens of books each year that are supposedly about Italy--but fall short of the real flavor of the Italian experience. For this holiday season, I'd like to highlight two books that crossed my review desk and contain some of the real Italy, the one that we dream about when we leave.

Catching Up With Frances Mayes, Author of Under the Tuscan Sun

So what has author Frances Mayes been up to see when last talked to her? Is she still spending time at Bramasole, the villa she made famous in Under The Tuscan Sun? We talk to her about cooking, olive oil and her beloved Tuscany.

The Dream Interview: Tuscany and Umbria Insider Barrie Kerper

Kerper is such a thorough researcher she would put any librarian at the Library of Congress to shame. She finds out absolutely everything about a place -- much of it through the eyes of other great travel writers -- and the presents the essential and the fascinating in a compelling way.

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