Why am I passionate about this?
I have always had a strong, long-lived interest in all things Italian (including Italian food and wine). I spent my third year of university at a campus in Rome and travelled all over Italy during my year there. I’ve been back to Italy as a tourist and researcher numerous times, as five of my ten award-winning novels are set there (in Venice, Rome, Cremona, etc.). I have many Italian friends and my most recent novel, The Artist and the Assassin, is being translated into Italian and will be published by Les Flaneurs Edizioni, an Italian publisher in Bari, Italy.
Mark's book list on historical fiction and mysteries set in Italy
Why did Mark love this book?
I recommend this non-fiction book because it is a fascinating study of the famous bronze statue of a lion that stands at the top of a column in the heart of Venice and is actually a symbol of the city. The book so intrigued me that I decided to write a novel in which the lion statue was an important, somewhat magical character. That novel was also titled The Lion of Venice and it focused on the life and travels of Marco Polo, likely the most famous Venetian in history.
1 author picked The Lion of Venice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
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