Read around Italy - Campania
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 1 - The Mainland
This month, we are in Campania, in southern Italy, with Naples as its capital, known for its rich history, vibrant culture, and stunning coastlines. Part 2 will include the islands, so stay tuned.
Experience the breathtaking beauty and vibrant flavours of this region - from the stunning sea views of the Amalfi Coast, islands like Capri and Ischia, to the lively spirit of Naples, this region has a bagful of charm. Wander through the fragrant lemon and orange blossom gardens of Sorrento, marvel at the grandeur of the Royal Palace of Caserta, and explore the historical wonders of Paestum, Herculaneum, and Pompeii. Are you ready to be enchanted by all that Campania has to offer?
Campania is a region renowned for its stunning landscapes, rich history, vibrant culture, and exceptional culinary traditions that are admired worldwide. With a consistently mild climate, lush nature, and breathtaking scenery, Campania features unspoiled villages and enchanting coastlines. This Mediterranean jewel represents centuries of cultural exchange between the West and East, and it is celebrated for its unmatched hospitality. It is truly a destination that delights the soul, captivates the eyes, and satisfies the palate.
Books are frequently set in Campania for its intense dramatic contrast, blending stunning Mediterranean beauty (the Amalfi Coast) with chaotic, gritty urban life in Naples. The region offers rich, complex history, deep-rooted culture, and intense social dynamics—including Camorra influence—that provide compelling, authentic narratives for authors.
We can’t visit Campania without mentioning ‘My Brilliant Friend and it’s hard to find a better exploration of women’s friendship than in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. We also need to mention that the Amalfi coast has served as a stunning backdrop for numerous films, such as The Talented Mr Ripley, but here is my choice. Some you may know and some you may not.
Stones of the Madonna
A tale of love, betrayal and shocking secrets is perfect holiday reading... ‘a gripping and enjoyable book.'
by Jan Mazzoni
It's 1939, and Lily and her American doctor husband James have come to the Amalfi coast in southern Italy in search of a new start. And how could they not be happy in a place where the scenery is stunning, the locals generous and welcoming, where the air is filled with the fragrance of jasmine and the laughter of children?
But escaping the past isn't so easy.
In the sultry silence of one of the hottest summers for years, Lily discovers things about herself that she never knew. She discovers things about James, too, things she'd sooner not know. And though the chill and looming shadow of war edges closer and closer, ultimately it is not the war that poses the biggest threat to Lily's newfound contentment...
Last Voyage of the Valentina
A tale of war, of Italy, of a beautiful young woman and a terrible tragedy from the number one bestselling author of Songs of Love and War.
by Santa Montefiore
Italy 1945. The war is over, but its shadow still lingers. And deep in the lush countryside, an eccentric aristocrat is savagely murdered in his beautiful palazzo.
London, 1971. Years later, this unsolved crime touches the life of Alba, a hedonistic girl who lives on a houseboat in swinging Chelsea.
Between these two distinctive times runs a thread of love, decadence and betrayal that takes Alba to the olive groves of the Amalfi Coast, rich with the scent of figs, the drama of wartime and the lingering decay of tragedy.
The past unfolds, revealing a secret web of partisans and Nazis, peasants and counts and in the centre of it all, an alluring woman of mystery: her mother…
The Amalfi Curse
Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse...
"This intoxicating story blends old-world magic and modern-day mystery with a delicious dash of amore."
by Sarah Penner
Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artefacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?
As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever...
Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.
I Will Have Vengeance
Set in 1930's Naples with the rise of fascism and its inherent threat of irrational brutality, the scene is set for an unsettling story. A combination of an unusual detective, a historical setting and Italian opera.
by Maurizio de Giovanni
Naples, March 1931: a bitter wind stalks the city’s streets, and murder lies at its chilled heart. As one of the world’s greatest tenors, Maestro Vezzi, is found brutally murdered in his dressing room at Naples famous San Carlo Theatre, the enigmatic and aloof Commissario Ricciardi is called in to investigate. Arrogant and bad-tempered, Vezzi was hated by many, but with the livelihoods of the opera at stake, who would have committed this callous act? Ricciardi, along with his loyal colleague, Maione, is determined to discover the truth. But Ricciardi carries his own secret: will it help him solve this murder?
The Night Villa
An evocative tale of intrigue, romance, and treachery, Carol Goodman's spellbinding novel, The Night Villa, follows the fascinating lives of two remarkable women centuries apart.
by Carol Goodman
The eruption of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 buried a city and its people, their treasures and secrets. Centuries later, echoes of this disaster resonate with profound consequences in the life of classics professor Sophie Chase.
In the aftermath of a tragic shooting on the University of Texas campus, Sophie seeks sanctuary on the isle of Capri, immersing herself in her latest scholarly project alongside her colleagues, her star pupil, and their benefactor, the compelling yet enigmatic business mogul John Lyros.
Beneath layers of volcanic ash lies the Villa della Notte-the Night Villa-home to first-century nobles, as well as to the captivating slave girl at the heart of an ancient controversy. And secreted in a subterranean labyrinth rests a cache of antique documents believed lost to the ages: a prize too tantalising for Sophie to resist. But suspicion, fear, and danger roam the long-untrodden tunnels and chambers beneath the once sumptuous estate, especially after Sophie sees the face of her former lover in the darkness, leaving her to wonder if she is chasing shadows or succumbing to the siren song of the Night Villa. Whatever shocking events transpired in the face of Vesuvius’s fury have led to deeper, darker machinations that inexorably draw Sophie into their vortex, rich in stunning revelations and laden with unseen menace.
The Chocolatier
A young widow. A husband she thought she knew. On the picturesque Italian coast of Amalfi lies a chocolatier's destiny...
“A delicious novel that makes you long for chocolate."
by Jan Moran
San Francisco, 1953: Heartbroken over the mysterious death of her husband, Celina Savoia, a second-generation chocolatière, resolves to take their young son to Italy’s shimmering Amalfi coast to introduce him to his father’s family. Just as she embarks on a magical, romantic life of making chocolate by the sea surrounded by a loving family, she begins to suspect that her husband had a dark secret, forged in the final days of WWII, that could destroy the relationships she’s come to cherish.
While a second chance at love is tempting, the mystery of her husband’s true identity thwarts her efforts. Challenged to pursue the truth or lose the life she’s come to love, Celina and her late husband’s brother, Lauro, must trace the past to a remote Peruvian cocoa region to face the deceit that threatens to shatter their lives.
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IN THE KITCHEN:
Food culture is a way of life here, and Campania's food and wine tradition is one of rich influences and a protected symbol of excellence throughout the world. Typical food in Campania is defined by vibrant, fresh ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, and lemons from the Amalfi coast. Iconic dishes include authentic Pizza Napoletana, pasta dishes like spaghetti alla Nerano and ragù napoletano, fried seafood (cuoppo), and desserts like babà, sfogliatelle, and pastiera.
Meat dishes include braciole (meat rolls with grated pecorino cheese, pine nuts and sultanas cooked in fresh tomatoes), potato gattò, and rabbit alla cacciatora, from an ancient Ischian tradition while on the coast you might try drowned octopus, mussel stew or a mixed fry of potato croquettes, rice croquettes, panzerotti, pasta cresti, and seasonal vegetables.
I hope you enjoy my choice of books! See you in the next region soon