The most recommended books about Tuscany

The Three Graces is set in Tuscany, and I could feel the sunshine on my face as I read this sumptuous novel.

Set over just two weeks in May, with the planning of a wedding at its heart, it embraces a huge cast of characters (young and old, rich and poor, kind and mean) and a wide range of issues (including racism, refugees, immigration and generation rent versus baby boomers). All of which are woven skillfully into a delightful story.

The eponymous Three Graces are three elderly ladies who have moved separately to Tuscany to live out their retirement. "Between them, they had 4 breasts, 5 eyes, and 3 hip replacements." Ultimately, this is a tale of friendship. 

Set in both Devon and Tuscany—this is my perfect book! I loved the historic story of Floriana growing up near the beautiful villa in Tuscany, and it tied in so well with the modern-day story as well. As always Santa’s books are well crafted and a total joy to read, transporting you to the locations with her evocative descriptions. This makes a fabulous holiday read, and I have recommended it to many family and friends.

I was fascinated by this tale that weaves together an ancient curse on an Italian family, a fierce nonna who has ruled her granddaughters, and an aunt who has been ostracized by the family.

It’s hard for us to understand the power of an ancient curse, but these women have lived with it their whole lives. They flaunt tradition and travel to Italy, with its lush gardens and marvelous food, from their stark Brooklyn neighborhood back. Refusing to accept the curse, they reveal its source—and the reason the aunt was banished.

There’s a strong feminist note here, along with lessons in growth and self-confidence--and love. A slow start, but I loved this book.

Ingrid Rowland is a fabulous writer, with a wide and frankly unrivalled knowledge of the art, architecture, and archaeology of Italy, from the Etruscans to modern day. She spins this little-known “17th-century caper” about the forgery of “Etruscan” artifacts with great verve, drawing the reader in like a good detective yarn. In her telling, what appears at first like a historical footnote ends up having implications far beyond, implicating—and scandalizing—the Vatican itself and beyond. 

"I love everything—the food and the wine and the olive groves and the grapevines..." That line from the book was the feeling that enveloped me as I read this story. There is warmth and tenderness, comfort and satisfaction, a place where people work hard and reap the rewards of their efforts.

The universal search for love is prominent in These Tangled Vines. Love of husband and wife, married lovers, mother and daughter, father and daughter, sibling to sibling. Everyone wants love. But how many of us find the perfect match?

I loved exploring the lushness of Tuscany and the delicious food, wine, and passion. Reading this story made me want to be there once again.

I have read several of Angela Petch’s excellent novels, all set in Tuscany. I lived in Tuscany for two years, and her descriptions not only of the countryside but also the characters that inhabit this special part of the world are spot on. This novel kept my interest, was well-plotted, and a real pleasure to read. Her research into the wartime period is well done, and I love the details about how people lived back then. It really is another world. How our modern world integrates with it, and what we can learn from it, is something I feel she explores really well, by introducing the past to the present through her characters. 

Tracy Chevalier writes the novels I want to write! I’ve read just about all of them and was particularly excited to discover Burning Bright. Chevalier’s depiction of London in the early 19th century is masterful, and hugely inspiring for me. Burning Bright is a coming-of-age story that centers around two children’s interactions with the great poet William Blake. I met Tracy Chevalier at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Oxford where she made my day by graciously agreeing to accept a copy of my first novel The Towers of Tuscany which was heavily inspired by her novels and even insisting that I sign it! 

This is one of my comfort reads. It’s been out a while, so it may be a little dated in terms of technology, but the heat is still there. One of the things I love most about this book is that it blows the perception that we should have everything figured out by the time we reach a certain age or level of success. Isabel thought she had a fool-proof guide to living a successful life free of messes. Well, you know that had to blow up in her face. But I also like Lorenzo Gage’s story as much. As one of the world’s most bankable movie stars, he should be riding high, but he finds himself inexplicably discontented with his career and life choices. This book reminds me it’s okay if I don’t have a handle on every little thing.

I love Italy and a cozy mystery set in Italy sounded like the perfect thing to kick off spring.

I listened to this book on my commute and there were times I was laughing so hard, I’m sure people on the highway thought I was crazy as they passed by. The main character, Dan Armstrong, is a retired policeman with a dream of writing. He thought the chance to attend a writer’s conference in the heart of Tuscany would be a great start to his retirement.

It didn’t take long, though, for Dan to realize the conference wasn’t what he expected and there wasn’t going to be a peaceful retirement. I still smile thinking about some of the twists and turns this story takes.

As I entered the strange new territory of grief and a solitary life after 37 years of an unconventional marriage, I found myself looking for solace from authors who could show me the way forward. Martha Cooley’s retreat to a small, medieval Italian village brought the first tentative smiles to my early months of grieving. My husband and I shared a love of Europe and stayed in our own medieval village in Tuscany just a few years before he died. Cooley used her retreat to deal consciously but gently with the many deaths she’d faced over a traumatic ten years, as well as the impending death of her mother. Her reflections related to mortality and carrying on after the loss of loved ones were a comfort as I began to confront the uncomfortable challenge of stepping into a new life without my husband and best friend.