Read around Italy - Campania (the islands)
Come with me on a reading journey around Italy's stunning twenty regions.
As a book blogger/book reviewer for books set in Italy, from mysteries to histories, from crime to cookbooks, from thrillers to travel guides, cosy up in an armchair and let me take you on a journey around all of Italy’s beautiful regions.
Part 2 - The Islands
Before we leave Campania, let’s take a short boat ride to some of the most famous islands in the Gulf of Naples, which offer distinct experiences:-
Ischia (known for thermal spas) - "the green island," it is often chosen for its volcanic scenery, thermal spas, and less-touristy, authentic Italian atmosphere, notably featured in Elena Ferrante's novels
Capri (famous for luxury, scenery and the Blue Grotto) - a common setting for sophisticated novels and romantic narratives, serving as a glamorous retreat.
Procida (quiet and colourful) - Famous as the setting for Il Postino and L'isola di Arturo (Elsa Morante), it is valued for its "authentic" feel, brightly coloured homes, and traditional, quaint fishing village atmosphere.
Why are books set here?
The islands, particularly Ischia and Procida, are treated as characters, offering a slow-paced lifestyle and nostalgic atmosphere. They represent a combination of Italian history, seafaring traditions, and Mediterranean beauty that appeals to writers.
Since the 19th-century Grand Tour, Capri has been viewed as a refuge for artists and writers looking to escape daily life, offering both peace and a fashionable, creative community. Its stunning, sheer cliffs, Mediterranean landscape, and exclusive, often scandalous atmosphere provide a perfect setting for stories of leisure, escapism, mystery, and romance and on that note……
Nostalgia Moment! A Lancashire lass in Capri!
Visiting Capri a couple of years ago was a personal pilgrimage for me. My grandmother (born in Lancashire) adored a local singer - Gracie Fields, whom I’m sure none of you has heard of. As a teenager, she used to work in a cotton factory and sang all the time, and then she was discovered! Dame Gracie Fields (1898–1979) was a beloved British singer and actress, and was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s. She was considered the highest-paid film star in the world in 1937. Fields was known affectionately as Our Gracie and the Lancashire Lass and for never losing her strong, native Lancashire accent.
In the later years of her life, she made the Italian island of Capri her permanent home. Known as the "Fidanzata di Capri" (Sweetheart of Capri).
She founded the iconic La Canzone del Mare (song of the sea) beach club in Marina Piccola and is buried on the island
And now to the books!
Capri and No Longer Capri
‘An intimate and brutally honest look at an island that has earned both a fanciful and a disturbing reputation as a European destination that is far off the beaten path’
by Raffaele La Capria
Raffaele La Capria creates a portrait of Capri that begins in the time of Ulysses and moves to our present complex and hectic reality, and composes an elegy for a Nature blasted by human negligence and error. Americans have now been visiting Capri for many years, and La Capria’s book will offer much to newcomers to the island that they would not otherwise have at their disposal, for his slim volume is a guidebook of a special kind, something like a novel and a local Italian guide. Capri has had a long history as a place of retreat, of sensual license, and of unparalleled natural beauty. Without running through the usual list of sights, La Capria gives his reader the sensation of having peered beneath each stone, and of giving an appreciation of what such a place has done to others, some of whom, once under Capri’s spell, gave their lives over to their dreams.
The Capri Letters
A mix of personal memory, history, and a guide to the island of Capri - It won the 1954 Strega Prize, Italy's highest literary award
by Mario Soldati (translated By Archibald Colquhoun)
In this epistolary novel, a series of letters reveals the intricate and passionate relationship between a young Italian woman and an older, worldly American writer. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Capri, the correspondence delves into themes of love, desire, and the complexities of human connection. As their letters unfold, the characters grapple with their emotions, cultural differences, and the inevitable impact of their choices on their lives and those around them. The narrative captures the essence of longing and the bittersweet nature of romantic entanglements.
Invitation to Italy
Procida, off the coast of Naples, is the perfect setting for this lovely story, brought alive through all the senses by an author whose love for Italy shines throughout.
by Victoria Springfield
Abi is distraught when her ex-husband Alex takes their twelve-year-old daughter, Chloe to spend the summer with his glamorous fiancée, Marisa and her parents at their home on the beautiful Italian island of Procida. Persuaded by her best friend to book a holiday at the island's Hotel Paradiso, Abi finally meets the woman she's been avoiding for so long. Will the two women's strained relationship survive the summer?
One-time teenage swimming sensation, Loretta, has run the Hotel Paradiso since leaving Capri broken-hearted. When childhood friend Salvo comes to stay, Loretta is forced to confront her past and the fears that have kept her away from the water for forty years. But just as she finds the courage to open her heart, she discovers all is not as it seems with Salvo...
One Italian Summer
Be completely and utterly transported to the Italian island of Ischia in this slow-burning romantic novel.
by Catherine Mangan
When Lily's long-term relationship ends, she flees her life in New York to travel to her best friend's wedding on the sun-drenched Italian island of Ischia - but could there be more to the secluded island than she ever imagined?
Ten days with nothing but sparkling seas, breath-taking beaches and delicious food sounds like the perfect cure for a broken heart. And Lily can hardly believe she'd never heard of Ischia before now. But Lily's blissful break is short-lived as she discovers not only has she lost her boyfriend, she's also lost her job.
As Lily searches for inspiration, she connects with local Matt, who shows her the magic the beautiful Italian island has to offer, and quickly inspiration strikes: Ischia needs more tourists and Lily knows just how to help.
As Ischia slowly heals Lily's heart, will she in turn inject new life into the island? And will local Matt offer the possibility of a future she'd never dreamed of?
Graziella
A poignant, autobiographical Romantic novella detailing the impossible love story between a French aristocrat doing his 19th-century grand tour in Italy and the granddaughter of an Ischia fisherman. Based on Lamartine's own youth, the story blends memoir with fiction, providing a deeply personal account of his time in Italy.
by Alphonse De Lamartine ( translated by Raymond N. MacKenzie)
An 1852 novel by the French author Alphonse de Lamartine. It tells of a young Frenchman who falls for a fisherman's granddaughter – the eponymous Graziella – during a trip to Naples, Italy; they are separated when he must return to France, and she soon dies. Based on the author's experiences with a tobacco-leaf folder while in Naples in the early 1810s, Graziella was first written as a journal and intended to serve as commentary for Lamartine's poem "Le Premier Regret". Graziella is a timeless portrait of love, chronicling the remorse and the misguided ideals of youth that find their expression, if not their amends, in art.
Girl by Sea
‘A lovely chronicle of the joys and pitfalls of moving to a small community... A charming concoction of love, food and life – with recipes!'
by Penelope Green
From her rooftop terrace, Penelope looks out across the sparkling waters of the Bay of Naples and into a garden of lemon trees and magnolias. Has her Italian dream come true?
Imagine catching a ferry home and stepping onto a waterfront lined with multicoloured buildings, busy with fishing boats and couples strolling to their favourite café. For Penny and her Italian love Alfonso, the idyllic island of Procida can offer the life they are looking for. But first, Penny has to find a way into its small community. One thing she has in common with the locals is a love of food, so she sets herself a goal - to master the Procidan cuisine and become more than just a visitor.
Across kitchen tables, in bustling cafés, and over long lunches under vine-covered pergolas, Penny learns the art of Italian cooking, builds friendships, and discovers the rhythms and secrets of island life.
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I hope you enjoy my choice of books! See you in the next region soon