For the second installment of our Southern Italy Books Series we’re off to Sicily – that island off the toe of the Italian boot that has been captivating travelers since ancient times. Our list of books about or set in Sicily are seeped in the mystery, vibrancy and spice that make the Sicilian culture so very distinctive.
If you’re looking for a good book about Sicily, this list has a great variety of books to choose from. There are sweet travel memoirs, thrillers, Italian classics and plenty of tempting cookbooks. For mystery fans, many of the works by Sicilian author Andrea Camilleri in his popular Inspector Montalbano series have been translated to English. We hope these books inspire you to discover Sicily on your next trip to southern Italy!
Travel Writing about Sicily
That Summer in Sicily: A Love Story by Marlena de Blasi
Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons: Travels in Sicily on a Vespa by Matthew Fort
In Sicily by Norman Lewis
The Stone Boudoir: Travels Through the Hidden Villages of Sicily by Theresa Maggio
A House in Sicily by Daphne Phelps
Casa Nostra: A Home in Sicily by Caroline Seller Manzo
Sicily, It’s Not Quite Tuscany by Shamus Sillar
On Persephone’s Island: A Sicilian Journal by Mary Taylor Simeti
Fiction Set in Sicily
The Inspector Montalbano Mystery Series by Andrea Camilleri
Sicilian Dreams by J.P. Kennedy
The Savage Heart of Palermo by Daniel Kenyon
The Leopard: A Novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini
Only Sale Remains by Meryl McQueen
The Day of the Owl by Leonardo Sciascia
To Each His Own by Leonardo Sciascia
Non-Fiction and Cookbooks About Sicily
The Day of the Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Rick Atkinson
Sicily: Three Thousand Years of Human History by Sandra Benjamin
Spring in Sicily: Food from an Ancient Island by Manuela Darling-Gansser and Simon Griffiths
Sweet Sicily: The Story of an Island and Her Pastries by Victoria Granof
Seeking Sicily: A Cultural Journey Through Myth and Reality in the Heart of the Mediterranean by John Keahey
In Etna’s Shadow: Culinary Adventures from Eastern Sicily by Karen Landes
Coming Home to Sicily: Seasonal Harvests and Cooking from Case Vecchie by Fabrizia Lanza
Gardens of Sicily by Clare Littlewood and photos by Mario Ciampi
Walking in Sicily: Short and Long Distance Walks (Cicerone Guides) by Gillian Price
Midnight in Sicily: On Art, Food, History, Travel and la Cosa Nostra by Peter Robb
What is your favorite book about Sicily? Have you read these or other books set in Sicily? I’d love to hear your suggestions and comments!
If you missed the first part of our Southern Italian Book Series, here is our list of Books Set in Campania. Stay tuned for upcoming installments with books set in Calabria, Puglia and Basilicata!
Are you planning a trip to Sicily? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip.
This is a great list!!! Many new things to add to my reading list. Thanks so much!
Great list!
My grandparents were born in Sicily and we are planning to visit next year along with southern Italy. I’m even working on dual-citizenship.
I enjoyed “That Summer in Sicily” by Marlena de Blasi. It gave me a nice introduction to life in Sicily for peasants like my nonni must have been. (Marlena Blasi also wrote “A Thousand Nights in Venice” which I enjoyed. About an American woman who marries a man from Venice. — Imagine that!)
http://www.amazon.com/That-Summer-Sicily-Love-Story/dp/034549766X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362442320&sr=1-1&keywords=that+summer+in+sicily
I loved That Summer in Sicily. So rich and beautiful in the descriptions. I know so little about Sicily, this list is going to inspire me to get down there!
We so enjoyed reading Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons by Matthew Fort, it gives such a good insight. Apart from the Camilleri novels (of course!) we took The Villa by Rosanna Ley and especially enjoyed A Ruby in her Navel by Barry Unsworth. Curious to see what Under the Volcano will be like, out soon. Great post, thank you for sharing!