Book recommendations with a setting in Lake Como, Verona, Padua, Dolomites or Istria

OK I'll be the first how about the Bard?....."Two Gentlemen of Verona"..... "Romeo and Juliet" of course.

This book is set around Lake Iseo, so not far from Lake Como and Verona. You get a good feel of the environment, lifestyle and local food. It's a relaxing mystery and the first in a series and is available paperback or ebook on Amazon.
"She Left No Note" by J.L. Crellin
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BY5N8DMS

Beneath a Scarlet Sky (historical fiction/nonfiction Mark Sullivan)
The Tuscan Child (Rhys Bowen)

brad, Tinac, jggordan54 & History Traveler,

Thanks very much for the good input. Will probably give Beneath a Scarlet Sky the first read.

The Betrothed, by Alessandro Manzoni, arguably the most important classic novel in Italian literature. It is what Italian high school students are required to study as part of their Italian literature curriculum. I really enjoyed it in school.

It is a historical novel set in the XVII century on Lake Como (Lecco), Monza and Milan during the plague pandemic of 1628-1631. A must read after Covid.

I always like the minor but important setting of lago maggiore (Como area) in Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms which also features other Italian locales of course.

You can find a list of novels set in the Dolomites here: https://throneandvine.com/books-worth-discovering/ It includes Beneath the Scarlet Sky and some others. I read Beneath the Mountain by Luca D'Andrea and really enjoyed it from the first page to the last. The White War is also excellent if you have an interest in learning about WWI in the Dolomites.

Not quite in the correct location, but Eric Newby's "A Small Place in Italy" tells the story of Newby and his wife restoring a farmhouse on the border of Liguria and northern Tuscany in the 1960s. He also wrote "Love and War in the Appennines" and lots of other travel/Italy/Mediterranean things. Another one I will mention, not because it is the from the right spot, but because I feel like not many people know of her, is Iris Origo's war diaries and memoir. "A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary 1939-1940" and "War in Val d'Orcia: An Italian War Diary 1943-1944" and "Images and Shadows" which is a memoir about her early life including the restoration of La Foca, which is now a beautiful hotel and garden https://www.lafoce.com/en. Happy Reading! I do the same as you and always read something set in or about the place I am going.

This website is interesting for finding books in your destination. It isn't complete, but you can add books and destinations yourself.
This is the website: https://www.mappit.net/bookmap/
And this is the story behind it: https://blog.wheregeospatial.com/2019/02/07/once-upon-a-somewhere-the-challenges-of-putting-books-on-the-map-by-alex-mackie/

A film rather than a book, set on Lake Como, “A Month at the Lake”. The scenery is beautiful and the film captured it well!

I always like the minor but important setting of lago maggiore (Como
area) in Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms which also features other
Italian locales of course.

Not Como area- Stresa on Lago Maggiore

I’m so excited to read this thread. I’m going to the Dolomites and Stresa next month. A Farewell to Arms is one of my favorite books. I’ll need to read it again before we go. I didn’t realize that Hemingway spent time there and based part of the book there. This forum is such a wealth of info.