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You don’t have to be in Europe to immerse yourself in its joys
By Georgie Gordon
You don’t have to be on the Continent to immerse yourself in its joys. A round up of classic books, films and TV shows set in Europe to transport you straight into the dolce vita.
Books
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.
The British naturalist’s delightful trilogy about living on Corfu as a child with his widowed mother, siblings and a menagerie of rescued animals, initiated many TV and film spin-offs. The book that started it all is an often fictionalised account of the family’s first five years on the island from
1935. Durrell describes Corfu as “the spellbinding landscape of a Greek island before tourism succeeded in spoiling it for tourists”; an idyll of olive groves, pebble coves and wildlife. It’s vividly told and wickedly funny.
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Set in the French Riviera and various other enviable locales, Fitzgerald’s 1934 novel is the captivating story of promising young psychiatrist Dick Diver and his glamorous wife and patient Nicole. As the couple hold court in their villa and at Hotel des Etrangers (apparently inspired by the real-life playground of the rich and famous, Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc), Rosemary, a young actress, becomes obsessed with Dick. The book is said to mirror the author and his wife Zelda’s lives and her struggle with mental illness.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway.
This memoir of the writer’s time in Paris in the 1920s reveals a spirited city brimming with creative enthusiasm after World War I. It centres on his relationships with his first wife and young child, and his struggles as a journalist while the Parisian backdrop looms large. Charmingly, many of the cafes and bars that he and his contemporaries frequented are still there. For more of Hemingway’s evocative prose, see The Sun Also Rises, his novel about a group of expats in Paris and Pamplona.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.
Mayle inspired many holidays, and more than a few tree-changes to the French countryside, with his witty account of life abroad. In this memoir, he writes with unflinching honesty and humour about leaving England with his wife and two large dogs for a 200-year-old stone house and a new life of extreme weather, unreliable tradesmen, confounding local customs and glorious food.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim.
Inspired by the author’s month-long sojourn from England to the Italian Riviera, this bestselling 1922 novel has been credited with putting Portofino on the map as a fashionable holiday spot. It follows four very different women on holiday in a medieval castle on the shores of the Mediterranean: Lotty and Rose, two young housewives looking for respite from their unhappy marriages, socialite Lady Caroline, and the elderly Mrs Fisher.
Films
La Piscine
La Piscine.
Set in the summer on the Côte d’Azur, this stylish 1969 French thriller boasts a cast so dazzling – including Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin – it rivals the stunning setting. Described by The New York Times as “pretty, rich people behaving poorly” – still a popular trope today – the film follows a couple on holiday in a St Tropez villa, who are visited by an old acquaintance and his daughter. Seductive, captivating eye-candy.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Thanks to a glittering cast including Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow and intoxicating summer scenes, the 1999 film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel became an instant classic. Con artist Tom Ripley charms his way into the lavish lives of Dickie Greenleaf and his girlfriend Marge, who are spending the season in Italy. Dickie’s summer house was in fictional Mongibello, which put the likes of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, where the film was shot, on countless holiday wish lists.
La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita.Credit: Alamy
Fellini’s 1960 cinematic masterpiece beautifully captures postwar Rome and its lust for fashion, food and music. Iconic scenes such as the statue of Christ helicoptered over the city on its way to the pope, and Anita Ekberg frolicking in the Trevi Fountain, compete with dreamlike frames and Marcello Mastroianni’s unforgettable performance as he explores the Italian capital looking for love.
Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek.Credit: Alamy
In this 1964 classic, uptight English writer Basil’s life is changed irrevocably when he travels to Crete and meets the exuberant Alexis Zorba. The film, which won three Oscars at the 1965 Academy Awards, was adapted from the 1946 book of the same name by Cretan native Nikos Kazantzakis. Both novel and movie evoke Crete’s rich sights and sounds of wild herbs, rugged landscape and the blue Aegean Sea, as well as Zorba’s infectious love of life.
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!Credit: Alamy
Meryl Streep, the ABBA catalogue and a Greek island: what’s not to love? This 2008 smash-hit musical movie, about a bride-to-be’s quest to find her father, was set on the fictional island of Kalokairi and filmed mainly in Skopelos and picturesque Damouchari. The fact that many of the locations aren’t easily accessible to tourists hasn’t stopped Mamma Mia! fans from making a pilgrimage to these now famous parts of the Med.
Television
Emily in Paris
Emily in Paris.Credit: Alamy
Love it or hate it, there’s no denying the success of this hugely popular Netflix series (season four is in the works) in which Emily, played by Lily Collins, relocates from America to Paris for work. It’s a highly stylised and stereotypical depiction of France – berets, croissants and the Eiffel Tower feature heavily – however Emily’s escapades, persistent optimism and view of the city through rose-tinted glasses offer a wonderful escape.
Riviera
Riviera.Credit: Alamy
This series follows art dealer Georgina Clios (Julia Stiles), who’s drawn into the criminal underworld after her billionaire husband Constantine (Anthony LaPaglia) dies in a yacht accident. The setting of the French Riviera and the likes of Monaco, Nice and Venice reads like a holiday itinerary for the ultra-wealthy. It’s intrigue, excess and murder on the Côte d’Azur.
The White Lotus
The White Lotus.Credit: Alamy
The White Lotus effect ensures that whatever resort hosts this popular satire series will be bombarded with bookings. Season two, shot at the Four Seasons’ San Domenico Palace in Sicily, was no exception. It follows
a group of guests with questionable motives and the conflict and sexual tension that arises, with the bucket list-worthy hotel just as captivating as the story. Rumour has it that season three is set in Thailand. Standing by. •
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