Good books about the Mediterranean?

[cruisinglisa]

I really like to read books related to upcoming vacations... And since my Mediterranean cruise is over a year away, I have plenty of time to read about it :)

 

Does anyone have any good suggestions for Mediterranean related books? Not just travel books... I'm pretty much open to anything that isn't boring! Destinations I'm particularly interested in are: Barcelona, Italy, Greece, southern France and Turkey.

[vasiliki76]

"Eleni" by Nicholage Gage. It's been years since I've read it and it's a bit sad, but very good.

[Monterey Girl]

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. It takes place in Rome. I believe there is even an Angels and Demons tour to visit the various sites mentioned in the book. I think it might be fun to see how many of those sites we can find on our own.

 

You might do a search on this site as I know there was a book list going a while ago. All I can remember is a book called "Murder in Venice". I can't remember the author. MG

[Monterey Girl]

Sorry the title of the book is Death in Venice , by Thomas Mann. The search was for books set in Venice. MG

[librarian]

I too have been trying to read books about the area. Read Michaelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King, Donna Leon Venice Inspector Guido Mysteries and a few about the REnaissance. I have never really found any books about Greece though or Turkey. This would be a good discussion topic as books other than guide books do give you a feel.

[Coreopsis]

• Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson - great read!
  
• Of course, if you haven't read yet - Under the Tuscan Sun (if you only saw the movie - then you are in for a treat!)

Here's what is on my list, taking on my trip next week:

• Wish You Weren't Here: The Black Cat Anthology of Travel Humor - edited by Cecil Kuhne (might help on crowded planes :D or for lost luggage, missed connections, etc.)
  
• Leonardo da Vinci - Sherwin B. Nuland
  
• Jane Austen - don't have the author, (I think it was by Shields) my daughter stole the book, it is about her life and writings - she best return it to me very soon! Ok, so not really Med theme . . . but her writings were such classics, will be fun to learn more about her life.

[SeaBop]

I loved:

 

"Istanbul: Memories and the City" by Orhan Pamuk. It's about his family and childhood and has fabulous photos of the city from all decades. This led me to read more of his fiction like "SNOW" and "MY NAME IS RED".

 

Peter Mayle " A Year in Provence" and following books are a hoot based on true stories and John Mortimer's "Summer's Lease" set in Tuscany and Frances Mayes "Under the Tuscan Sun" are some of my favorites.

 

The novel "Zorba the Greek" by Nikos Kazantzakis is also the wonderful move starring Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates.

 

"Don't Look Now" a story by Daphne du Maurier. Set in Venice and very spooky. Made into a movie 1973.

 

"Stones of Venice" by John Ruskin is about the architecture.

[mochuck]

"Pompeii" by Robert Harris - a fictionaised account set during the eruption of Mt Vesuvius that consumed Pompeii in 79AD. I read it just before I went to Italy the last time. It really helped me to understand what every day life was like in Pompeii.

[whogo]

The Pillars of Hercules by Paul Theroux. The author circles the Mediterranean without flying. A small part of the journey is by Seabourne cruise ship, but this is by no means a cruise book. I like all Theroux' travel books.

[cruisemom42]

If you're looking for a long engrossing read, Colleen McCullough's "Rome" series (I think it's 5 books) is a very detailed, fairly accurate (but enhanced enough to be a good read) account of the last days of the Republic of Rome and covers the whole Mediterranean world at that time.

 

For Florence, read "A Room with a View" by E.M. Forster (and/or rent the excellent movie).

 

I definitely second "The Pillars of Hercules" and also the Orhan Pamuk book. I read both last year before our Eastern Med. cruise.

 

For anyone whose itinerary also includes Egypt, I can recommend the Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz for a look at what life in Cairo was like in the early 20th century.

[SeaBop]

Corelli's Mandolin: A Novel by Louis De Bernieres

Set in Greece on the island of Cephalonia during WWII.

 

Topkapi, (a terrific caper movie from 1964) showcases Istanbul has an outstanding cast: Peter Ustinov, Melina Mercouri, Maxmilliam Shell and

Akim Tamiroff.

[bellagirl]

Carol Drinkwater's trilogy about the refurbishing of an olive farm in the south of France are absolutely beautiful reads. I believe the first one is called "The Olive Farm", followed by "The Olive Season" and "The Olive Harvest". Her newest one is called "The Olive Route" which traces the origins of the olive tree throughout the Mediterranean. Fascinating read!!

 

I'm enjoying this topic so much!!! Keep the suggestions coming!!!:D

[franu]

Some books from yesteryear that inspired some of my travels were Irving Stone's "The Agony and the Ecstasy": A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo (1961) and "The Greek Treasure" (1975) A biographical novel of Heinrich and Sophia Schliemann.

 

I was so taken by these stories that they burned a passion for seeing the places and the art which still make me smile. I owe my passion of travel to these places and many more to him for this gift although I now recognise that Schliemann's methods were more equivalent to rape and pillage of the sites in "The Greek Treasure".

Fran

[hcat]

I am reading a very good biography of Gaudi by Gijs Van Hensbergen--gives alot of Catalan history along with the bio... They carry it at Borders Books Some of the other suggestions above sound excellent as well!

[YoPhilly]

If you're going to Greece, you must read "Eleni" by Nicholas Gage. I've read it twice - years apart - and it continues to astound me.

 

For a fascinating look at the competition, design and construction of Florence's Duomo, read "Brunelleschi's Dome" by Ross King.

 

For a completely different perspective, read the very witty "Ciao America!: An Italian Discovers the U.S." by Beppo Severgnini. I found this one to be laugh-out-loud funny.

[tom_uk]

"The Middle Sea", by John Julius Norwich. It's a history, and majors on the eastern & central Mediterranean. It's well-written, in his usual racy style. I'm sure there are all sorts of gross over-simplifications, and he's very much a writer about 'the people who make history' - kings, emperors, Popes, pirates, and so on.

[mrsfecura]

This is a great thread that's been long lost! I'm bumping it to the top to hopefully get some more great suggestions as I'm cruising the Med next year!

[chaz2010]

This is a great thread that's been long lost! I'm bumping it to the top to hopefully get some more great suggestions as I'm cruising the Med next year!

 

Yes- a good thread to keep going.

 

Here's my short list:

 

Venice - Non-ficiton-- Paradise of Cities by John J Norwich

Ficiton/Mystery- Mysteries by Donna Leon (over twenty of them- first was "Death at La Fenice")

 

Rome- non- fiction- Rome a cultural visual and personal history by Robert Hughes

 

Greece- Historical Fiction- series by Mary Renault, especially trilogy on Alexander the Great. "Fire From Heaven" a good one

History- "Life of Greece" Will Durant

 

For the whole Med-- History- "The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to HAdrian" takes in everything in a decent size read.

 

Also- The Odyssey and Iliad by Homer and The Aeneid by Virgil. The most recent translations by Robert Fagles are fantatstic. While The Iliad takes place in Troy; most of the action of both The Odyssey and The Aeneid takes place on the seas of the Aegean and Med.

 

Happy reading!

[TLCOhio]

I really like to read books related to upcoming vacations... And since my Mediterranean cruise is over a year away, I have plenty of time to read about it. Does anyone have any good suggestions for Mediterranean related books? Not just travel books... I'm pretty much open to anything that isn't boring! Destinations I'm particularly interested in are: Barcelona, Italy, Greece, southern France and Turkey.

 

You have some great, upcoming port stops. Hopefully you will have time before the start of your cruise in Barcelona, seeing its great history, architecture, market, etc. My live/blog below has many pictures and added information for there. Your post says "not just travel books". My focus is, however, on travel books which have lots of good, interesting info. I like soaking up background on the varied and complex histories through the centuries in these unique places. It's "world-class" here. So interesting and at times confusing during the past 2000+ years.

 

You might grab, maybe from your public libraries or ask for them to do a book transfer they can process for you, such super excellent visual books such as Eyewitness, Insight, etc. Rick Steves, Fodors, Michelin, Frommers, etc., can work well, too. In my opinion, no one travel book has it "ALL", perfectly and completely for all of your needs. These resources, especially the visual ones, can help you better figure out your priorities, in advance, for what you want to do and see. That early research is very important. Don't wait until you get on the ship to "GUESS" what might be of interest. I always build a "file" on my laptop computer for each port stop with highlights from that reading and then pulling up stories/articles from the travels sections of the New York Times, Telegraph of London, Wikipedia, etc. All of those help to consider your many great options. Amazon can be very good in providing such books at reduced prices, plus some used books websites. Lots of great options!!! Especially in these days of the Internet, it makes things easier to research and plan ahead. You can use Google.com for great access to various text items, plus a wide variety of visuals and maps. One option for some private tour and other local options is to contract the tourism office in each of your ports. You can use Google.com and put in the search term such as "city/port name tourism office". Then follow-up to each of those office by e-mail, ask your questions, get their suggestions, options to consider, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 89,789 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[buggins0402]

Well, this is set mostly in England - but you'll be in so many cathedrals and wonder how they did it - so an oldy but goody for my pick -Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.

[mary_228]

Like others have mentioned, I will strongly recommend Eleni and Corelli's Mandolin. They deal with 20th century events in Greece and Italy respectively. Wonderful, wonderful books!

[MarleneAm]

Like others have mentioned, I will strongly recommend Eleni and Corelli's Mandolin. They deal with 20th century events in Greece and Italy respectively. Wonderful, wonderful books!

_________________________________________________________

For Turkey read "Birds without Wings", same author as "Corelli's Mandolin",

also Orhans Pamuk's "The Book of Red" and "The New Life". For older Turkey read "Mehmed My Hawk" and "Portrait of a Turkish Family". For a happier more recent view of Greece, read Eleni Gage's" North of Ithaka"; she is Nick Gage's daughter.

[mrsfecura]

So glad I woke this thread up! Great suggestions! I just started Under the Tuscan Sun.

[ljrlaw]

As a first time European cruiser, I have found Rick Steves' "Mediterranean Cruise Ports" to be invaluable! On the non-travel book side, I am working my way through Robert Hughes' "Rome". Enjoy!

[Sea42]

I'm currently listening to Robert Harris' audio book "Imperium". Set around 75 B.C.E. it tells the story of Cicero, his career and his involvement in turning the Roman empire from a republic into a dictatorship. I don't know if I would enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying listening to it because some of the names are quite a mouthful. It is a very compelling story that really conjures up the time period vividly.

Another item, not a book, that I enjoyed was the PBS video Athens-Dawn of Democracy. You can watch in online or get it through American libraries. It presented the topic in a very engaging way.