Italy is awesome (and awesomely frustrating for foreigners) so no wonder there are zillions of books written about it. These books range from guidebooks to essays to memoirs. Here I have picked the 5 books written about Italy that if I had my way, would be unwritten and I would get the hours back I spent reading them, a refund of the money from buying them and have my brain erased of any and all remnants of these atrocities. Below I write my opinions of the books, followed by the funniest Amazon reviews I could find (if they are available).
#5 Desiring Italy: Women Writers Celebrate the Passions of a Country and Culture-Susan Cahill
My Opinion: This should be titled Desiring My Time Back. Luckily, I didn’t pay any money for the book as it was a part of a book exchange (though I paid in terms of the agony inflicted on me by reading it). It’s basically a collection of essays written by women who have traveled to Italy. When I cracked open the book, I struggled to keep my eyes open. This is coma inducing unless you really love complicated, Victorian era writing. Maybe it gets better, but even after jumping around a bit I couldn’t get into to any of the writings. It reminded me of the required readings in a high school English class.
Amazon review: (Sadly this was the only critical review of the book out of the few that were left. I can only assume people didn’t leave a review because they quickly wanted to forget they had ever read it.)
Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the book; it did not meet my expectations or hold my interest so I abandoned it in our hotel room. -SM
Why You Shouldn’t Bother: If you’re like me, you look to books to inspire you. The only inspiration I got while reading this was to sleep-long and hard. Unless you are a real lover of dry essays compiled into a book, skip it.
#4 Rick Steves’ Italy-Rick Steves
My Opinion: I had high hopes for this guidebook, after all Steves’ was practically my neighbor (we lived in the same area of Seattle). When I had won free tickets to Rome, I had virtually zero travel experience. I was in need of some guidance. I went to one of his lectures about Rome and was horrified. With his little slide show filled with gypsies begging next to the Colosseum, I felt like I was traveling to a war zone. Steves’ said not to worry and by purchasing his guidebook, we would have the tools we needed to take on Rome. So I bought it and upon reading it I was even more terrified than before. Based on his book, I was going to have babies thrown at me while a rabid group of children ransacks my pockets and purse. Anyone having traveled to Rome would soon figure out what nonsense this all is. I feel more safe in Rome than I do in my hometown of Spokane, Washington. While pickpocketing does happen here, I have never experienced any of the things Rick described in his lecture and guidebook (that’s not to say it NEVER happens though). I continued to use the book to get ideas on where to eat and what to see. Sadly, everything Rick writes about gets ruined. I’m sure when he had first visited these places, they were good. But now they suck because of the unrelenting hordes of “Rickniks” that descend upon them. Most of the small businesses can’t keep up with the demand and the places recommended basically turns into overpriced tourist restaurants with frozen food being passed off as authentic. All the restaurants and “back door” sites were filled with other Americans carrying this guidebook. Oh and don’t get me started on Cinque Terre.
Amazon reviews:
Hey folks - did you know there’s nothing to see in Rome? You might as well move on. That’s according to Rick Steves. He writes “For most travelers, Rome is best done quickly… Italy is more charming elsewhere.” He recommends Rome as a side-trip from somewhere else!!! I think our friend Rick has been hitting the grappa rather hard because, to anyone who’s been there, it’s clear that he doesn’t know what in the world he’s talking about. -tony 7962
Steves says he’s giving you “only the best” of Italy, but what he really means is that he covers only the most obvious, tourist-trodden destinations…if you want to step off the beaten path (meaning really off the path, not to Steves’ “finds,” which have been in every decent guidebook for half a century), you’re on your own. (He pretends that Sicily doesn’t even exist. Amazing.) And the restaurant recommendations follow suit — tourist traps. I got in the habit of looking into the places he suggested, just to make sure I wasn’t missing something, but didn’t eat in any of them after the first couple of days. Time and again it was the same thing: a room full of American customers and tired-looking Italian waiters with painted-on smiles.-a customer
Why You Shouldn’t Bother: Unless your dream vacation in Italy consists of surrounding yourself with hundreds of other Americans pushing and shoving into hotels and restaurants recommended by Rick, then don’t buy this book. I have found reading blogs (shameless plug?) offers much better advice on where to go, what to see and what to eat than any guidebook does. Plus, most of these places a local blogger would recommend would never have 20 buses parked outside.
#3 Living La Dolce Vita-Raeleen D’Agostino Mautner
My Opinion: I bought this in a hurry which was probably my first mistake. Instead of it being a book about a woman in Italy like I had imagined based on the cover, it is a self help book with loose Italian tie ins that are mostly just common clichés about Italy and Italians: family values, good food, friendship, slowing down. As I was reading it seemed like the author has never visited Italy and is just going on what seems to be common characteristics of an Italian lifestyle (”Family is the focal point of Italian life” pg.1). My suspicions were confirmed again when on page 97 she gives a recipe for “Spaghetti and Meatballs alla Mamma” !?!?!?!? At that point, Daniele made me stop reading the book and threw it away.
Funny Amazon reviews:
In the epilogue, the author expresses her resentment of how “Hollywood” stereotypes Italians. Perhaps she hasn’t noticed that the preceding chapters do exactly that, but instead illuminating all the “positive” stereotypes of Italians. The Italian people are diverse just as Americans, and it is unfair many of them do not live the “dolce vita” as described.-Travis
The advice she gives reads like something out of an article in “Seventeen Magazine”. For example, here are some of her tips for cultivating friends, Italian style: 1)Spend the time it takes to cultivate new friends. 2)Go beyond the superficial to create intimacy. 3)Practice giving and receiving affection. 4)Be willing to listen. 5)Show loyalty in your words and actions. I bet you never would have thought of those things on your own, right?-L.A in CA
Why You Shouldn’t Bother: 99% of the advice is common sense, and putting an unimformed Italian theme on the advice is just annoying.
#2 As The Romans Do-Alan Epstein
My Opinion: I had high hopes for this, after all it was on Oprah! But I just couldn’t get past all the stereotypes and generalizations (also read Shelley’s awesome review of this book as she draws similar conclusions). For example: All Italians LOVE ironing and do not like dryers, they all hate dishwashers and have no clue as to how to decorate a Christmas tree. Oh and all women dress to the nines all day, every day. This is not the Italy I live in. I have Italian friends that hate ironing as much as I do, love their dishwasher and can decorate X-mas trees beautifully. I also see women and men in sweats or tracksuits out and about daily. I could go on and but…
Funny Amazon reviews:
This book is an infuriating collection of stereotypes, errors and prejudices.-S Sabes
Clearly this author had two goals in mind: 1) to take advantage of the Americans-living-in-Europe publishing trend, a la Frances Mayes, and 2) to brag endlessly! I got tired of reading about the author’s expensive apartment and furniture, his Mercedes and his impressive friends after a few chapters and gave up on this.-E.Griffin
Reading this book reminded me of why I don’t like to be invited to a slide show of somebody else’s trip– you had to be there. Amateur photography and amateur writing just do not convey the essence of a place very well - disco75
When Mr. Epstein isn’t begging for attention when recounting his associations with washed-up American politicians, or his fifteen minutes of obscure fame induced from Oprah’s TV book club, he offers little more than obvious insights into the workings of this fine city. More attention is placed into the exquisite decorating of his new home (bragging as usual) than to the description of his characteristic Roman neighborhood.- frankpoliti
Why You Shouldn’t Bother: I think the reviews give a pretty good case as to why you should skip this one. I think very few people are able to relate to the author’s version of Rome.
#1 Under The Tuscan Sun-Francis Mayes
My Opinion: Yeah, you probably saw that one coming. But I couldn’t believe this book when I read it. Boring and horrible both come to mind. I can’t even put into words how WRONG this book is. Luckily, the Amazon reviewers do a great job, saying all that I wanted to say and more. I was literally crying from laughter after reading these reviews-they are so right!
Funny Amazon reviews:
The mindblowingly boring guide to breathtaking Tuscany…If you are a fan of Italy, don’t kill the magic with this book.-Dana Al-Husseini
Another reason that I gave it 3 stars was the author’s insistence in calling the period of afternoon rest that many people in Italy observe a “siesta”. For someone who claims to love Italian people and culture you would think that Ms. Mayes would be ashamed to use the Spanish translation of this practice. In Italian it is called “risposo” and is a very important part of Italian culture.”-H.R. Bryant “mommy fish”
Here’s the cliffsnotes version of the book: Two professors go to Italy, buy a house, fix it up, visit it every summer and Christmas and serve lots of dinners to lots of other people, all who have no story to tell either. You also get a lot of descriptions of doorways and vegetables. There, you’ve read it!-Just xLNs
Her book is full of smug, self-congratulatory prose- verbal “O lucky me!” hand-clapping- along with recipes, and “vacations from her vacation” in Tuscany with her mysterious gentleman friend, identified only as “Ed.”…She thinks Italians were put on this earth for her personal entertainment- they’re so quaint, with their funny hand gestures and odd little customs that she makes no effort to understand. Or else, they exist to perform whatever manual labor at her villa she finds too heavy or too tedious, and whatever skilled labor her exacting Martha Stewart standards of decorating demand…Her comments on Italian art are pretentious, poorly informed, and without a single interesting insight. Her one moment of humility comes when she admits her difficulties in learning Italian…But so what? She doesn’t need to know Italian. Mayes lives in the insulated dream world that only the very wealthy can afford to build around themselves…The parties she gives and attends are so unvaryingly elegant that you start wishing someone would belch, tell a dirty joke, get nastily drunk, come down with a case of Tuscan Tummy, or admit to cravings for a Big Mac. Did I mention that Mayes has absolutely NO sense of humor?-A reader
Characters besides Mayes and her high opinion of herself are nonexistent; 280 pages -is Ed her husband, her boyfriend, her slave? Whatever, I don’t even care anymore. I’d feel sorry for him if I could figure out who he is. I could go on and on, but I’m not Frances Mayes so I won’t. My advice to her is to get over herself. My advice to a potential reader is to get over your impulse to read this book. –Mystery Fan “jax475”
I know where to put this book - in the recycling bin, in the hope that it will be reborn as blank paper in the typewriter of a real writer.-A customer
How could Italy be boring? Ask Frances Mayes….-A customer
Why You Shouldn’t Bother: Huh? Oh sorry -I was still laughing at how hilariously accurate those reviews were. Seriously, how did this book get published and why was it on any best seller list?
So there you have it! What are your thoughts and opinions? What books appear on your worst list?
You left out the part where Rick Steves says you’ll get killed if you ever ride the subway so you should definitely take the crowded bus everywhere.
I’m requesting a top five of the BEST books now!
Haha! I did leave that out! I will start thinking of the best ones now!-Jessica
Great minds think alike Heather!!!
Thank you Jessica for this post…..I love reading about Italy, have only been twice. Once to Sicily and once to Lake Como…hoping to go to Puglia in November, we can only go then because of my husbands work schedule..
Yes I think it would be a great idea if you did a post on the “5 Best books” to read.
Lol-Well now it looks like I have to! I’ve got 3 good ones that come to mind, I will have to think if there is two more!-Jessica
Unser the Shitting Tuscan Sun is on my crap list, too. I effing HATED that book. GGRRRRRDDDDD I hate her.
I’m in Rome for the forseeable future - DRINKS AT MEDITERRANEO HOTEL PLEASE.
Let’s do it! Where is that hotel? I tried google but a million came up. I am so overdue for a huge, highly alcoholic beverage!-jessica
I personally didn’t like “A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure” by Marlena De Blasi. It seemed to go on and on about what they ate. I did liked her first one though, “A Thousand Days in Venice”.
Hi Jennifer! I just looked at your blog and I see you are learning Italian too! How is is going? As far as the books you mentioned I haven’t read either of them, but if I find them here I will skip the Tuscany one and read the one about Venice! Thanks for the suggestion. Ciao!-Jessica
I Hate, Hate Hate, the way R. Steve’s portrays a lot of Italy.
Occasionally, he points out some fun stops for tourists that they might not ordinarily see, but in general, it’s a really negative focus on ONLY the cliche places. It’s kind of good in a way, though, maybe the crazy kind of people that believe him won’t go to the incredible parts of Rome that I am learning about each time we go. You’re right on with Tuscan Sun…. very boring. Can’t wait to get your opinion on some of the “best” books…keep it up!
Sharon, you are right! The more people that follow his books, the more they will not be in the places I enjoy the most. -Jessica
I agree with you 100% on the Epstein book- it’s the only one of the five that I’ve read- I was given it as a present and felt obliged to read it. Every time I see these Italian-themed books in Feltrinelli I wonder if I should try another. Thanks for the reviews and helping me to steer clear.
Every time I buy one I hope it will be the one that gets it right. But lately I am sick of reading about Italy and living here-it’s overdose! Time to get back to real books me thinks.-Jessica
“Under the Tuscan Sun” was a horrible waste of time and very boring. I did watch the movie because Raoul Bova was in it and I love looking at him!
The only other book on your list that I read was travel books by Rick Steves. I have often caught his travel programs on tv too. I find him so dull and boring and could never understand how he became as popular as he has become.
I look forward to a top 5 “best books” too!
Sierra, I also liked the movie, I mean it is not my FAVORITE but it is a billion times better than the book! I think the Rick shows are boring too, however there is a show called “Passport to Europe” with Samantha Brown that I think is cute, funny and interesting. Much better than the Rick shows.-Jessica
Too funny. It’s amazing what people do not know about Italy and Italians. Keep it coming!
I agree! -Jessica
I only use Eyewitness travel guides when I go overseas. This is the only book that I trust and I’m better with pictures than words. I have books that I have to read but I choose them carefully. I don’t buy books often and when I do I make sure it’s something I’ll enjoy.
I hope you’ll find better books in the future.
I never really bought books before moving here because I always had access to a library. Now I am forced to buy. I hope I find better ones too, but the choices are really limited.-Jessica
I don’t really read books about people living in Italy. I mean, I live here. Why do I need to read about their adventures. Was Under the Tuscan Sun book really different from the movie? I saw the movie, and I thought it was kinda cute. No, Bova didn’t hurt.
Cherrye, I guess I read these books to get perspective from someone who may have been here longer and has something to offer the reader from that experience. Now I am pretty much hopeless.-jessica
Jess-
What a great idea!! I did not read the first 4 books(guess I won’t now), but I did read Under the Tuscan Sun. I did like UTTS, but it could be because I saw the move first
I saw the movie first too. But even if I hadn’t I still would have hated the book haha. -jessica
Under the Stupid Tuscan Sun….I so hate Ed who loves to ‘read poetry and it rather antisocial’ well I think she described her nerd boyfriend (who I am sad to say becomes her husband in the second book…yes…I read and despised both.
And SO different from the film. I loved the film: newly single woman goes to live in Italy and help lesbian friends etc…but with the stupid real life book so has this nerd Ed and lives in lala land with all her money. OHHHHHHHH…………………In the second one she goes to her daughters wedding and meets this man. She does not recognize him and realizes it is her ex husband - the reason she does not know it is him as Italy has made her a different person. I am sorry to be rambling on, but how could you not recognize your ex-husband.
The Ed thing is bizarre. Thank god I didn’t accidentally read her other book it’s sounds just as lame!-jessica
How about Marlena de Blasi’s ‘A 1000 days in Venice’ and the ’sequels’? The coincidental meeting of her partner in Venice caught my attention in the first few pages but from there on it fizzled out. Her writing is also very Frances Mayish - long descriptions of food and the quaint peculiarities of Italian culture. I’m not sure what everyone else thinks but I have noticed that writers with an American background often ‘romanticize’ their experiences in Italy, whereas writers from the UK/Australia tend to describe it as it is (mind you I thought Penelope Green’s ‘When in Rome’ was a bit ’self-indulgent’ and she did come across as a bit of a ‘princess’ (not typically Australian). A good read is ‘Italian Neighbors’ by Tim Parks - it gives a realistic description of life in Italy from an expats perspective.
Anyway there’s my 2 cents worth!
I haven’t read anything from Marlena de Blasi mostly because I haven’t seen the books here in Rome. I am reading Tim Parks at the moment since we are moving to Verona, I just wanted to get a feel for the differences in culture up there compared to here. I am almost done with “Neighbors” but have “A Season with Verona” to read next. So far I like the book, but it’s a little boring as I find his neighbors similar to my own, so it’s kinda like reading about looking out my own window, if that makes sense. I wish I would have read it before or right after I moved, then perhaps it would be more interesting. I have not read any of Penelope Green’s books but from what I heard they are AMAZING! But it’s virtually impossible to find copies outside of Australia (again so I have been told). Thanks for your insight!-jessica
I am choking on my vino reading this, laughter choking, not the serious kind. I have read ‘Desiring Italy’ and had to miss out quite a few chapters as I slipped in and out of the coma. Worse, far worse is ‘Under The Tuscan Sun’ and all the other Frances Mayes ramblings. Don’t get me started on her as it’s not pretty. I know where to put her books and it’s not in a recycling bin! I agree with the above comment anything by Tim Parks is well worth a read as he writes about ‘really living in Italy’ and he is a damn good writer.
I’m so glad I am not alone on “Desiring Italy”! I felt like I was SUPPOSED to like it given the caliber of the authors, but it was horrible! I am liking the Parks books, but I just wish I had read them earlier since everything he writes is kind of old news to me by now.-jessica
I know it’s not written as a guide, but I would add the first book of Eat, Love, Pray to this. Her description of Italy was just so without passion for a woman who apparently dreamed of living in Italy most of her life!
It’s strange you feel that way about EPL because I really liked that book! I read it before I moved here so maybe I am due for another read through. I was paying attention more to her story rather than Italy so maybe I missed something?-Jessica
I was so disappointed with “Under The Tuscan Sun”. I picked it up after seeing the movie. I thought the movie was kind of cute and seeing as the books are usually better I decided to read it. I found myself skimming through it because I just couldn’t bare to read it. So disappointing. I haven’t picked up a book about Italy since…other than historical/educational books. My cousin gave me a book called “When In Rome..” by Gemma Townley that I still have to read. It looks like one of those easy read while you are out in the sun kind of books. I’m saving it for my trip to Italy this summer.
Are there any books that you really liked that were written about Italy?
Hi Lulu! I actually have read that “When in Rome” (Ugg- these writers need to come up with more creative titles!) and it was a light breezy chic lit book. Perfect for the beach. I like (so far) “Italian Neighbors” by Tim Parks and “Eat, Pray, Love”, and “The Dark Heart of Italy” but honestly most of the books I have read I haven’t really liked. -jessica
Hah- I’m laughing out loud at those Amazon reviews of Under the Tuscan Sun. They’re spot on!
I completely agree about UTTS as well as the Rick Steves books. He says he’s going to show you Italy “beyong the beaten path” and then proceeds to show you the beaten path. Great. And he leaves out huge sections of slightly less touristy Italy like Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Le Marche. And he disses Rome. Much as I like to diss Rome myself - it IS a great place to visit as a tourist. So much amazing stuff to see here and really the city is not that intimidating unless you’re from a town of 100 people or something.
I liked “The Sack of Rome” by Alexander Stille (about Berlusconi), the Tim Parks books (although a Season with Verona is a bit boring unless you’re a big football fan), the Dark Side of Italy and Megan Williams’ book of short stories about Rome (forgot the title.) I’m currently reading La Casta which promises to be good too.
[...] Here are one woman’s choices for the five worst books ever written about Italy. [...]
I have the distinct feeling you and I have similar tastes (and disdain) for certain things after reading your list. Thankfully, I’ve never gotten past a few pages of any of these while browsing in the bookstore (back in the USA, where I could).
One of the reasons I travel independently and normally without a guidebook (Rick Steves or otherwise) is because I want to see things everyone hasn’t; this is also the reason I won’t write a guidebook recommending restaurants and hotels…I mean, why would I want my favorite places ruined?
In any case, I think one needs to factor in the author’s age and background when buying a book. I realize that isn’t always possible, but I skip to random pages and read a bit to make an instinctual decision.
P.S. The problem with leaving honest reviews on Amazon is I usually get ‘NO’ clicked next to my name.
Yes, yes YES — that Alan Epstein book was the most pretentious piece of shite I have ever read!!! Aside from all the stereotypes and generalizations (you forgot — Italians never stand in line, also they are ALL extremely generous, and ALL of them LOVE children!) it drove me crazy how EVERY SINGLE THING about living in Rome was better than living in the U.S. Even the fact that paying your phone bill could potentially take an entire day — but that’s because Italians are used to a slower pace in life and isn’t that charming? I’m sorry buddy, but standing in line arguing with the phone company clerk because I want to pay my bill and you want to have a coffee is not charming!