The Essentials of Planning - Italy - page 587

A collection of Italy travel stories makes a good companion for a trip around
Italy. Try Travelers' Tales Italy, edited by Anne Calcagno, which has 30 themat-
ically organized stories about travelers' experiences across the country; also see
Travelers' Tales Tuscany for stories focused there. Tuscany In Mind, edited by
Alice Powers, is another nice compilation with 20 famous authors, from Dickens
to Twain. For a women's take on the country, read Italy, A Love Story, edited by
Camille Cusamano, in which 2 dozen women write about how their lives have
been shaped by their experiences in Italy.
FICTION
The definitive Renaissance classic is Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatory,
Paradise). The classic epic poem that practically created the Italian language also
has biting political commentary, with Dante's enemies ending up in various lev-
els of hell. The Penguin Classics edition translated by Mark Mura has good com-
mentary (essential for understanding all the obscure references) and cool maps of
hell from prior editions. Boccaccio's The Decameron, also from the 14th century,
is a bawdy collection of stories taking place at the time of the Black Death. If you
can get through the archaic writing, it's a good read.
Historical fiction is a fun way to learn about the old days without reading a
dry textbook. The Leopard, by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, is a 1960 novel recount-
ing the last days of a fading aristocracy in Sicily counterbalanced with the politi-
cal life of Italy in the 1860s. Irving Stone's 1961 The Agony and the Ecstasy adds
drama and intrigue to the life and times of Michelangelo. The Name of the Rose,
by Umberto Eco, uses the framework of a murder mystery taking place in a 14th-
century Italian abbey to debate the essence of literature, history, and religion.
ITALIAN FILMS
One of the best ways to gear up for your Italian vacation is to rent an Italian film.
There's none finer than The Bicycle Thief (1947), regarded as one of the best
films ever made, or any of Fellini's epics (1963's 8 1 ⁄ 2 and 1968's La Dolce Vita,
among others). Recent Italian-language films that enjoyed success in the U.S.
include Cinema Paradiso, Medeterraneo, Il Postino, and Life is Beautiful,
with scenes shot in Arezzo.