Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride by Lorenzo Carcaterra

When a crime on a beautiful Italian island stumps the police, locals turn to the trusted, elderly widow Nonna Maria.

You can get a copy of Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride by Lorenzo Carcaterra on Amazon or Bookshop.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, Translated by Ann Goldstein

Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship. This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence.

You can get a copy of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes, Translated by Ann Goldstein

In the modern translation by Ann Goldstein, Forbidden Notebook tells the story of Valeria Cossati, an unhappy housewife in postwar Rome who begins to record her thoughts in a hidden notebook. This secret activity prompts her to examine her stifled individuality and the conflicts within her family, ultimately revealing the fragile facade of their middle-class respectability. The novel poignantly captures the universal struggle of human aspirations.

You can get a copy of The Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes on Amazon or Bookshop.

Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley

An enemies-to-lovers romance where an American woman interning in Rome for a month gets off on the wrong foot with her professor’s grumpy son, but as they get to know each other, sparks start to fly!

You can get a copy of Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Only Daughter by A.B. Yehoshua, Translated by Stuart Schoffman

A coming of age story set in Padua, Italy, where a curious and intelligent young girl has a crisis of faith while also dealing with her father’s severe illness.

You can get a copy of The Only Daughter by A.B. Yehoshua, Translated by Stuart Schoffman on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza

Sara Marsala, reeling from the failures of her business and marriage, and grieving her great-aunt Rosie’s death, finds a new purpose when she inherits a plane ticket to Sicily, a plot of land, and a family secret. Aunt Rosie believed that Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina was murdered, not dead of illness. Sara embarks on a journey through the Italian countryside to uncover the truth, learning about Serafina’s fight for a better life and facing the same dangers. The Sicilian Inheritance is a multigenerational mystery celebrating the heroism of everyday women.

You can get a copy of The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James

In this beguiling midcentury historical fiction novel set in 1960s Italy, an ambitious American actress and single mother snags the starring role in a mysterious horror movie shooting on location in a crumbling medieval castle outside Rome…

Readers who enjoy the moody gothic allure of Kate Morton and Silvia Moreno-Garcia or the immersive settings of Lucinda Riley and Fiona Davis will be enthralled by Kelsey James’ spellbinding web of intriguing mystery, family secrets, forbidden love, and midcentury Italian flair.

You can get a copy of The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

From the bestselling historical novelist, a rich, transporting story that follows a family of glassmakers from Renaissance-era Italy to the present day. In 1486 Venice, Orsola Rosso, the eldest daughter of a glassblowing family, secretly learns the craft to support her family after her father’s death. As the story spans centuries, we follow the Rosso family through triumph and loss, from plagues to wars, and the transformation of Venice from a trade center to a tourist destination. The Rosso women ensure their craft and bonds endure. The Glassmaker is a mesmerizing portrait of a woman, a family, and a city as everlasting as their glass.

You can get a copy of The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier on Amazon or Bookshop.

Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman

Andre Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. It is an instant classic and one of the great love stories of our time.

You can get a copy of Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Cursed Friend by Beatrice Salvioni, Translated by Elena Pala

In 1930s Italy, two young girls from Monza, Francesca, a well-mannered bourgeois daughter, and Maddalena, the town’s rebellious outcast, form an unbreakable friendship amidst the backdrop of political turmoil and societal restrictions. Their bond is tested as they confront the injustices and violence of their time, learning to rely on each other and rebel against the constraints placed upon them. “The Cursed Friend” is a moving tale of friendship, courage, and the fight against oppression.

You can get a copy of The Cursed Friend by Beatrice Salvioni, Translated by Elena Pala on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith 

Since his debut in 1955, Tom Ripley has evolved into the ultimate bad boy sociopath. Here, in the first Ripley novel, we are introduced to suave Tom Ripley, a young striver, newly arrived in the heady world of Manhattan. A product of a broken home, branded a “sissy” by his dismissive Aunt Dottie, Ripley meets a wealthy industrialist who hires him to bring his playboy son, Dickie Greenleaf, back from gallivanting in Italy.

You can get a copy of The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon

The self-appointed mayor of a tiny Italian village is determined to save his hometown no matter the cost in this charming, hilarious, and heartwarming debut novel.

You can get a copy of The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Florios of Sicily by Stefania Auci

Based on the true history of the uncrowned kings of Sicily: the story of a family, restless and ambitious, shrewd and determined to be richer and more powerful than anybody else.

You can get a copy of The Florios of Sicily by Stefania Auci on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst

In Jennifer Probst’s emotional book set in Italy, three estranged sisters—Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey—reunite to settle their late mother’s estate and uncover a secret romance through clues leading them to the Amalfi Coast. There, they discover ownership papers for a house and a love letter to their mother from an anonymous man. To learn more about their mother’s past, they travel to Positano, Italy, where they uncover the truth, experience Italy’s magic, rekindle sisterly bonds, and find hope for the future.

You can get a copy of The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst on Amazon or Bookshop.

A Room With A View by E. M. Forster 

E.M. Forster’s beloved novel of forbidden love, culture clash, and the confines of Edwardian society. Visiting Florence with her prim and proper cousin Charlotte as a chaperone, Lucy Honeychurch meets the unconventional, lower-class Mr. Emerson and his son, George. Upon her return to England, Lucy becomes engaged to the supercilious Cecil Vyse, but she finds herself increasingly torn between the expectations of the world in which she moves and the passionate yearnings of her heart. More than a love story, A Room with a View(1908) is a penetrating social comedy and a brilliant study of contrasts – in values, social class, and cultural perspectives – and the ingenuity of fate.

You can get a copy of A Room With A View by E. M. Forster on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi, Translated by Elena Pala 

A saga of a Florentine family from the 1960s to the present that brilliantly captures the power of history and the multi-faceted experience of life itself as it explores how we contend with uncontrollable forces that both buffet and buoy us. 

You can get a copy of The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi, Translated by Elena Pala on Amazon or Bookshop.

Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly

The insightful, audacious, and deeply romantic story of a woman whose life turns upside down after she meets an enigmatic chef on vacation in Italy.

You can get a copy of Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly on Amazon or Bookshop.

House of Gucci by Sara Gay Forden

The sensational true story of murder, madness, glamour, and greed that shook the Gucci dynasty.

You can get a copy of House of Gucci by Sara Gay Forden on Amazon or Bookshop.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

The New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years returns with a powerful novel about the transformational love between mothers and daughters set on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.

You can get a copy of One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle on Amazon or Bookshop.

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

The author of the New York Times bestselling phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians takes you from Capri to NYC, where Lucie Tang Churchill finds herself torn between two men–and two very different cultures.

You can get a copy of Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

Four women rent a chateau on a remote Italian island to try to come to grips with their lives and relationships. They explore the differences in their personalities, reassess their goals, and reexamine their relationships in a sisterly fashion. Newly designed and typeset for easy reading by Boomer Books.

You can get a copy of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim on Amazon or Bookshop.

Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson

To survive the Holocaust, a young Jewish woman must pose as a Christian farmer’s wife in this unforgettable novel from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson–a story of terror, hope, love, and sacrifice, inspired by true events, that vividly evoke the most perilous days of World War II.

You can get a copy of Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Vietri Project by Nicola DeRobertis-Theye

Gabriele, a former bookstore employee in Berkeley, becomes captivated by the mysterious orders of a customer named Vietri from Rome. She quits her job and moves to Rome to find him, embarking on a quest involving obituaries, military records, and a communist murder trial. Along the way, she meets diverse city inhabitants and delves into her own complex family history, including her mother’s schizophrenia and her family’s past traumas. Through these encounters, Gabriele learns about identity, family, and belonging.

You can get a copy of The Vietri Project by Nicola DeRobertis-Theye on Amazon or Bookshop.

Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and adventure. Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

You can get a copy of Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch on Amazon or Bookshop.

Under the Italian Sun by Sue Moorcroft

Zia-Lucia Costa Chalmers travels to Italy to uncover her family roots after revelations turn her world upside down. Amidst the charm of vineyards, she meets Piero, the intriguing neighbor. This summer, join Zia as she searches for her past and possibly finds the future she’s always dreamed of.

You can get a copy of Under the Italian Sun by Sue Moorcroft on Amazon or Bookshop.

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Party Crasher, an utterly delightful novel about a woman who ditches her dating app for a writer’s retreat in Italy–only to find that real love comes with its own filters.

You can get a copy of Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella on Amazon or Bookshop.

Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino

Filled with kings and peasants, saints and ogres–as well as some quite extraordinary plants and animals–these two hundred tales bring to life Italy’s folklore, sometimes with earthy humor, sometimes with noble mystery, and sometimes with the playfulness of sheer nonsense.

You can get a copy of Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino on Amazon or Bookshop.

The Worst Kind of Want by Liska Jacobs

A trip to Italy reignites a woman’s desires to disastrous effect in this dark ode to womanhood, death, and sex.

You can get a copy of The Worst Kind of Want by Liska Jacobs on Amazon or Bookshop.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want–husband, country home, successful career–but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and set out to explore three different aspects of her nature, against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and on the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence.

You can get a copy of Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert on Amazon or Bookshop.

Belladonna by Anbara Salam

A hypnotizing coming-of-age novel set in 1950s Italy that stares into the heart of longing and at the friendships that have the power to save and destroy us.

You can get a copy of Belladonna by Anbara Salam on Amazon or Bookshop.

Stars in an Italian Sky by Jill Santopolo

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost comes a sweeping story of two star-crossed lovers in post-World War II Italy, and a blossoming relationship generations later that will reveal a long-buried family secret.

You can get a copy of Stars in an Italian Sky by Jill Santopolo on Amazon or Bookshop.