World Book Day: Be inspired by the literary greats in Italy

Italy has inspired the imagination of the world’s best writers for hundreds of years, so Euronews Travel team felt that this World Book Day we should celebrate their adventures.

From the Romantics of the 19th century who lingered longer than planned during their Grand Tours of Europe, to post-war and contemporary writers who stumbled upon quiet villages to plot thrilling tales, you too can find inspiration in Italy’s breathtaking landscapes.

The country’s inspiring beauty has also become a magnet for writers today, from Zadie Smith who relocated to Rome for two years to escape the acclaim from her bestseller ‘White Teeth’, to Elizabeth Gilbert, who shared her love for real Neapolitan pizza in her 2006 biography hit, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’.

Dream by the waters of Lake Maggiore

Ernest Hemingway spent a great deal of time in Italy and legend has it that the night he lethally shot himself, he sang a song he had learned in Northern Italy. The great writer volunteered for the American Red Cross in northern Veneto, and spent time recovering from a mortar shell injury in a hospital in Milan, where an amorous relationship with a nurse inspired two books.

Even when Hemingway moved to Paris, he continued to return to Italy, enjoying an extramarital affair that was the muse for his acclaimed 1954 book, ‘The Old Man and the Sea’.

Of all the destinations he visited – from Venice to Cilento – Hemingway called Lake Maggiore “one of the most beautiful Italian lakes” and his “home-from-home”. And you can see why, with the allure of its sparkling waters, fresh air and quaint Belle Époque fishing villages, all set to a backdrop of alpine mountains.

Among the cobblestoned streets and elegant harbours there are captivating 19th century villas with sprawling and fragrant botanical gardens for you to discover.

Why not order a Hemingway Special cocktail or a dry martini at the Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees, or stay in the Hemingway Suite, which is the same room that he stayed in during his wartime leave.

To get some of the best lake views, take the hydrofoils and ‘traghetti’ (car ferries) that crisscross the water.

Spend a night at the opera in Trieste

The protagonist for Irish writer James Joyce’s modernist novel ‘Ulysses’ (1922), was allegedly inspired by a Jewish painter and writer from the northeastern Italian city of Trieste. In fact, Joyce loved his pleasurable life in the city so much he had his siblings move there too.

Roam the pedestrianised streets of Via San Nicolò, and you might be able to spot the house where Joyce lived above The Berlitz School. While there, be sure to also duck into Libreria Antiquaria Umberto Saba, a fascinating bookshop-cum-living museum.

Over on Via Dante Alighieri, stop off to people watch in the historic literary coffee house Caffè Stella Polare, or venture to the Art Nouveau bakery of Pasticceria Caffè Pirona where Joyce had breakfast most days – be sure to order a ‘presnitz’, a delicious nutty fig roll.

Venture to the historical Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas, which Joyce frequented, and be rewarded with breathtaking ocean views. But one of Joyce’s favourite establishments was the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, the city’s main opera house, which still puts on plenty of wonderful performances to pass away a mild evening.

Experience the ‘purity’ of the Sicilian skies

“To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything” said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The German-born writer’s epic book ‘Faust’ was born under the island’s warm sunshine during his Grand Tour, and he wrote of Sicily’s “fresh green mulberry trees, evergreen oleanders, [and] lemon hedgerows”.

Goethe also penned his experiences in his travel memoir, ‘Italian Journey’, where he mentioned he stayed with friends beyond sunset at the Teatro Antico di Taormina, an ancient Greco-­Roman amphitheatre. You too, can take the cable car up to the hilltop town of Taormina and breathe in the enchanting scenery.

Or, venture to the ancient monuments of Segesta and Agrigento, where you’ll stumble upon the Temple of Concordia, another favourite spot for the writer.

You might also like to climb the cliffs or take a guided tour up Mount Etna, to witness, as Goethe put it, “the purity of the sky, the tang of the sea air, the haze which, as it were, dissolved mountains, sky and sea into one element…”

Find Byron’s ‘greenest island of my imagination’ in Venice

Escaping a social scandal in England, Lord Byron lived in Italy for six years, and inspired many other notable 19th century writers to flock to the country. While Byron spent time in many Italian cities, Venice, where he lived in a palace on the Grand Canal, was his favourite. Today, you can visit Byron’s former residence, Palazzo Mocenigo, which once held a menagerie of animals and staff akin to his aristocratic lifestyle.

Byron’s days involved swimming and rowing around the city, from the island of Lido to San Marco Plaza. You can head to Lido and visit the ancient Jewish cemetery, which the Romantic writer loved.

Or, you could explore the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, where Byron spent time living with – and learning the language – of a small community of Armenian monks. While there, you could visit the museum dedicated to him.

Byron himself coined the name of the famous Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) in one of his narrative poems, and this iconic spot is well worth passing under on a romantic gondola ride that will take you through other narrow waterways.

Pick a true ‘room with a view’ in Tuscany

If you’ve read either of E.M. Forster’s two greatest novels, then you’ll know how fond the author was of Italian culture. Her 1905 novel ‘Where Angels Fear to Tread’ pays homage to the opera and the Tuscan countryside. The iconic 1908 book ‘Room with A View’ was a love story to Florence, inspired by Forster’s own Edwardian travel experiences through Tuscany. There, you can visit the many landmarks mentioned in the book.

Stay in a boutique hotel or villa and you’ll be able to throw open your shutters in the morning to the gorgeous scenes over the Tuscan capital.

You could amble and take in the atmosphere along the Arno River, or explore the Basilica di Santa Croce, where you’ll find a monument of Dante. But the best way to explore Florence? Allow yourself to get lost and just wander the streets and piazzas. If you happen upon Via dei Girolami, you’ll be at the location of the opening shot of the film version of her famous book.

And, should you wish to step beyond the historic city walls, rolling vineyards with enticing wineries and truffle-filled forests are only a short drive away.

Socialite style along the Neapolitan Coast

The gorgeous colourful villages along the so-called Neapolitan Riviera don’t feel like an obvious place that would inspire a psychological thriller, but then we’re not in the mind of American novelist Patricia Highsmith. She chose to set her 1955 book ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ here after visiting a wealthy socialist friend.

After travelling around Italy, the last of Highsmith’s stops was Positano on the Amalfi Coast, where she would take day boat trips to Palermo in Sicily, and the jetsetting island of Capri. While these days Capri draws huge crowds, you can venture to the stylish, quieter sister islands of Ischia and Procida, which were used as the fictitious southern Italian island of Mongibello in the 1999 film version of the book.

Ischia is an amazingly relaxed island, dotted with seafood restaurants and boutiques along the harbour. It also has an incredible wellness culture thanks to the natural bubbling hot spa waters and soothing volcanic mud flowing through the island.

Procida, meanwhile, is a tiny island and somewhat of a hidden gem. Despite its size, there’s much to discover here, from its technicolour fishing villages and black sand beaches to a medieval old town and a Bronze-Age Mycenaean settlement in a protected nature reserve that’s only accessible by bridge.