Discover GEEO’s recommended books to read before you travel to Sicily. Our book club is a way for travelers to learn through literature about the places they’ll be visiting.

These are some of our favorites about Sicily, so if you’re heading there, take a look (the GEEO book club is not a required element of our programs, just a bit of added fun)! We hope you will enjoy the books we have selected and they will enhance your experience.

You should be able to find most of our selections through the links below and in your local library system as well. Do you have any feedback on our selections or suggestions for additions? Contact us and let us know!

Recommended books to read before traveling to Sicily:

Fiction:

• The Godfather by Mario Puzo (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Non-Fiction:

• Midnight in Sicily: On Art, Food, History, Travel and la Cosa Nostra by Peter Robb (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Sicily: Three Thousand Years of Human History by Sandra Benjamin (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

For those looking for more suggestions, here are some other books you may want to consider:

• Rick Steves Sicily by Rick Steves (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Little Novels of Sicily by Giovanni Verga (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Day of the Owl by Leonard Sciascia (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons: Travels in Sicily on a Vespa by Matthew Fort (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Cavalleria Rusticana and Other Stories by Giovanni Verga (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• A House in Sicily by Daphne Phelps (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Kingdom of Sicily, 1100-1250: A Literary History by Karla Mallette (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Bonus recommended films and videos to watch before traveling to Sicily, Italy:

GEEO travelers can register with SIMA Academy for free using a unique access code that we provide after our programs end. Feel free to contact us if you would like to receive the access code early. For this program, we recommend watching The Invisibles. SIMA Academy utilizes the storytelling power of award-winning global short documentaries to nurture globally competent and socially active learners worldwide.

GEEO utilizes both Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates links for the above-suggested books. If you purchase a book through one of the links above, you’re supporting us as a nonprofit and helping more teachers travel through GEEO!