An Italian Summer Reading List

The Talented Mr. Ripley

By Patricia Highsmith

We’ve all seen this grande classico of a film, with the unforgettable performances of our 90s favorites Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

But did you know that this was all a book?

You really don’t know Mr. Ripley until you’ve read the original – a 1955 capolavoro (masterpiece) by Patricia Highsmith. It will give you a new perspective on the cunning conman mind of Mr. Ripley, while coloring your imagination with the spectacular depictions of the Amalfi Coast. Trust me, your imagination will be in a kaleidoscopic dance of curiosity, which doesn’t have to finish once the book ends. Highsmith wrote a few subsequent novels on Mr. Ripley, so that you can never get enough of perhaps the most fascinating protagonist ever to exist.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is best paired with some cold white wine and bar snacks – think those nice Sicilian almonds and beefy olives. Or a classic Negroni for this modern classic novel.

The Light in the Piazza

By Elizabeth Spencer

If you are on the Frecciarossa (Italian rail) train to Florence, this book should be in your bag. Elizabeth Spencer’s tale tantalizes your mind with a stroll along the cobblestones of 1960s Florence, before the city’s great flood of ‘66 that changed the course of its history.

While a mother-daughter relationship may not sound all too engrossing to some, this book is much more than that. It is a discussion of two cultures intersecting, and the emotional dance we all engage in when falling in love, regardless of our age or background. And the book comes with dazzling descriptions of Florence that will keep you from ever putting it down.

What’s not to love? Plus, once you finish it, you can watch The Light in the Piazza as a charming 1962 film adaptation with the ever-incredible actress Olivia de Havilland.

The Light in the Piazza is best paired with a glass of Chianti Classico and a few slices of pecorino Toscano.

One Italian Summer

by Rebecca Serle

For a more modern Italian tale, Rebecca Serle has crafted something truly magical: a story that plunges you straight into the heart-stopping beauty of the Amalfi Coast while exploring the fierce, complicated love between mothers and daughters and the compounded grief of losing a parent. This isn’t your typical beach read – it’s heavy with emotional weight wrapped in the vibrant villas of Positano and a premise so intriguing you’ll find yourself questioning what’s possible when love transcends the impossible.

The best part? The Hotel Poseidon is real, and the pages are full of pasta.

One Italian Summer is a heartwarming read for any traveler, snagging your attention with wanderlust and wonder, grief and healing, all served up with Italian sunshine and a twist that’ll keep you glued to each page.

One Italian Summer is best paired with a spritz under a pergola, ideally with a view of the Mediterranean Sea.

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

by Elena Ferrante

It was just a few years ago that Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend seized the curiosity of readers worldwide as an undeniable 21st-century classic. The Neapolitan novelist has a knack for pulling at readers’ heartstrings through her gripping storytelling, depicting the lives of two girls in post-war Napoli. My Brilliant Friend is undoubtedly an intense tale of girlhood that anyone from any corner of the Earth will feel deeply. In other words, bring tissues.

While My Brilliant Friend has now become a successful TV series, Ferrante didn’t just stop with a single novel. Another stunner is Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, which – spoiler – follows protagonists Elena and Lila into adulthood. The book is arguably the most contentious novel, riling up readers’ feelings about the trials and tribulations of childhood friendships in adulthood, and the wreck of decisions that we make.

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (or any of Ferrante’s works) is best paired with a morning cappuccino and a good cry – I mean cornetto.

A Room with a View

By E.M. Forster

Beginning our list with a classic and ending with a classic, A Room with a View takes us to an Italy we don’t often see: the very early 20th-century Italy, when the English would take their grand tours around the peninsula, stirring up all kinds of scandal.

A Room with a View is Jane Austen meets Italian holiday fever, a story that beckons us to wonder if we have the courage to grab life by both hands when offered, with a lack of a better reference, a room with a view.

Don’t be fooled: A Room with a View isn’t your everyday Victorian romance; it’s a masterclass in wit and social commentary, with a sprinkle of gorgeous Tuscan scenery. And don’t think that the book’s age will bore you – Forster crafts characters so vivid they practically leap off the page. From bustling Florentine piazzas to the manicured lawns of Surrey, every setting crackles with tension between duty and desire, tradition and truth.

Room with a View is best paired with a glass of Sangiovese and an apartment in Florence.

NOTE: Massican is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or in partnership with any of the books, authors, publishing companies, or celebrities mentioned in the reading list above. All trademarks, names, and references are the property of their respective owners and are used here for informational and editorial purposes only.

PHOTO: Michele Iacobini