The Companion Guide to Florence
By Eve Borsook
Why this book?
The best books to understand the art and culture of Renaissance Florence
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
Browse the best books on Florence as recommended by authors, experts, and creators. Along with notes on why they recommend those books.
Coming Fall 2022: The ability to sort this list by genre (signup here to follow our story as we build a better way to discover books).
By Eve Borsook
The best books to understand the art and culture of Renaissance Florence
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
By Carol Lansing
It’s impossible to understand the turbulence that frequently swept over Florence in those years without some sense of what the magnate class was all about: its pride and its violence, its lawlessness, its emphasis on knighthood, and its private military forces. Lansing shows how the magnate class evolved as a distinctive culture, becoming powerful and disruptive to the city’s peace well beyond even what its considerable economic clout would suggest. She places a lot of emphasis on the role of women among the magnates, even though women could never be full members of the lineage, since they married into other…
The best books on medieval Florence
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
By Brian Morton
Seventy-five-year-old Florence is clever, outspoken and belligerent, sharp-witted, and sharp-tongued. Reliving memories of the American Feminist Movement at its height, she’s a great character forced to confront her own aging and the difficult dynamics of her family life. Crackling dialogue makes this book a slick and entertaining read.
The best books with brilliant old women as heroines
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
By E.M. Forster
Young Englishwoman Lucy Honeychurch visits Italy only to find herself among others of her class, all of whom have brought along their prejudices. When a father and son of a lower social class offer her a room with a better view, Lucy’s chaperone is suspicious of possible lurid expectations attached to the offer. The Edwardian moral code, outrageous to a present-day American, presents obstacles Lucy struggles to overcome so she can comfortably befriend the men. Although Forster’s style sometimes left me confused as to who was speaking during dialogues, and the Grecian myth references aren’t in my lexicon, the story…
The best books about leaving home, travel, and self-discovery
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
By Dale Kent
The best books to understand the art and culture of Renaissance Florence
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
By Magdalen Nabb
This delightful mystery set in Florence not only intrigues the reader with its clever, twist-filled plot but also with its insights into daily life and culture in Italy. The characters are enjoyable and show many humorous and unique facts of Italian life. Nabb knows her Florence and her Italians, and her ability to describe both make a reader wish to accompany her on her next trip!
The best books to read so you can take a trip to enchanting Italy without having to book a flight
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.