10 places that inspired great writers and masterpieces they gave life

For many famous literary authors The places are not just backgrounds, but protagonists from the great literary works Sices out of their pens. We are talking about writers such as Giuseppe Tomasi of Lampedusa, Italo Calvino, Isabelle Allende, Jrr Tolkien and many others, who in cities and landscapes have found the primary inspiration for their books, so much so that they become a fundamental part of the plot. Between real and imaginary territories, we discover Ten places who gave birth to unforgettable literary masterpieces.

Palermo and Sicily – The Gattopardo by Giuseppe Tomasi of Lampedusa

Set during the Italian Risorgimentothe novel follows the events of Prince Fabrizio Di Salinaa Sicilian aristocrat witnessing the decline of the nobility and the rise of the bourgeoisie. There Sicilyin particular Palermo and the surrounding countryside, is the background of the novel: places such as Villa Boscogrande in Cardillo have also been used for the film shots of the last Netflix TV series, representing the aristocratic residences of the time.

Giuseppe Tomasi of Lampedusa, Palermo, let himself be inspired by the land that was familiar to him Observing it through the lenses of an exponent of the high aristocracy to which his family belonged, the cardinal detail of the work, which reflects brilliantly The historical and social transition of Sicily. The Mediterranean landscape, with its jagged coasts and internal hills, and its climate and its flora, gives shape to the soul of the island, linked to a sort of “voluptuous immobility” and skepticism.

Castiglia-La Mancia-Don Quixote of the Mancia by Miguel de Cervantes

The Spanish region of Castile-The tip It is the background of “Don Quixote della Mancia”: the novel tells the adventures of Alonso Quijanoa Hidalgo (literally “son of someone”, it was a Spanish noble title that was conferred on those who had noble origins but was not titled) who, crazy after reading the chivalrous novels, turns into Don Quixote And it starts in search of heroic companies. THE Arid landscapes and the famous windmills of Consuegra That Don Quixote exchanges for giants are among the most iconic scenarios of the novel.

Miguel de Cervantes, born in Alcalá de Henares, knew the region and its culture well, and in its Castille-La Mancia pages it becomes a symbolic landscape of illusions and the disappointments of the protagonist. Thus, the vast plains, the rural villages and the region ruined castles offer a background that amplifies The contrast between the noble aspirations of Don Quixote and the harsh reality that surrounds him.

Ligurian Riviera – The rampant baron of Italo Calvino

The story takes place in the second half of the eighteenth century and tells of Cosimo Piovasco di Rondòa young baron who, as a sign of protest against family impositions, He decides to get on the trees of the home garden and never go down again: From that privileged position, Cosimo observes the world, participates in the social and political life of his time and lives a series of extraordinary adventures. Cosimo’s choice to live on trees symbolizes the search for a different point of view and detached on society, as well as the desire for freedom and the independence of thought.

Italo Calvino sets the story in imaginary village of Ombrosainspired by the landscapes of the Ligurian Rivierain particular to the area between Sanremo and the Bordighera campaign, places familiar to him. The Riviera, with its green hills overlooking the sea, the woods of holm oaks and olive trees and small villages perched, offers an ideal scenario for this philosophical fairytale.

Dublin – Ulisse by James Joyce

Set on June 16, 1904, the novel follows the events of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus through the streets of Dublin that Joyce describes with topographic precisionincluding real places such as the Martello Torre di Sandycove and the Glasnevin cemetery. Joyce, born in Dublin, lets himself be inspired by his hometown by observing it through the lenses of a flared and curious tourist. The philosophy of the work reflects the complexity of urban life and the fragmentation of human experiencewith Dublin who becomes a microcosm of modern existence. The city, located on the eastern coast of Ireland, is crossed by the Liffey river and combines historical elements with the liveliness of a modern metropolis.

Hampshire and the English campaign – Pride and prejudice of Jane Austen

Austen’s famous novel follows the events of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcybetween – as the title says – pride, prejudice and social conventions. Although the location mentioned are fictitiousJane Austen It was inspired by the landscapes of the Hampshirewhere he lived for most of his life, in particular a Chawtonwhere his birthplace is located. The author, very close to the English campaign, in these pages observes the company through the lenses of an acute and ironic narrator, describing the tension between individuality and social expectations and exploring family dynamics and interpersonal relationships against the background of the English landscape. Attention is above all on the Hampshire region which, with its sweet hills, picturesque villages and Georgian residences, offers an ‘setting that reflects the refinement and rigidity of the society of the time.

London – Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist

The novel tells the story of Oliveran orphan that faces the difficulties of life in London Bassifondibetween crime and poverty. The city of London is described In its darkest detailswith references to over 90 real placesincluding roads and monuments. Charles Dickens, born in Portsmouth Ma Raised in Londonlets itself be inspired by the city that surrounds it, observing it through the lenses of a social reformer. In this climate of social injustices and struggle for survival, London becomes a character in its own right, representing both oppression That hope.

Santo Domingo and New Orleans – The island under the sea of ​​Isabel Allende

Set between the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century, the novel follows the life of Zarité Sedella, nicknamed Tetéa black slave who, through a series of vicissitudes, he manages to conquer his freedom. The story initially takes place in the sugar cane plantations of Santo Domingoand then a New Orleans (which at the time of the story was French colony). Allende describes in detail of details Caribbean landscapes: Santo Domingo with his lush plantations and tropical climateand New Orleans with its colonial architecture and the lively Creola culture They offer a rich and suggestive context for the narrative in which the struggle for freedom and emancipation intertwine.

Saint Petersburg – crime and punishment by Fëdor Dostoevsky

The novel set in the St. Petersburg in the mid -19th century, the tormented features as its protagonist Raskolnikova student who performs a murder and faces the moral and psychological consequences of his action. The neighborhood of Sennaja Ploshchad and the banks of Griboedov channel they are central in the narrative, so much so that today it exists An official tourist itinerary that traces the places of the novel. Fëdor Dostoevsky lived for a long time in St. Petersburg, a city he knew in his deepest contrasts: imperial magnificence and urban misery. The philosophy of the work reflects precisely this duality: St. Petersburg, with its neoclassical canals and buildings, is built on a swampy ground, and its topography helps to create a sense of suffocation that reflects the inner state of the characters; the city, humid and oppressive, becomes A mental landscape that embodies the alienation, fault and redemption of the protagonist.

Oxford and the English campaign – The lord of the rings of Jrr Tolkien

Even if set in the mythical Middle groundthe novel is permeated by the English landscapes that Tolkien loved: The Oxfordshire County (in particular, are Mill and Moseley Bog near Birmingham) inspired Hobbit County, while the atmosphere of the Cotswolds hills It is reflected in the most rural landscapes of the narrative. Tolkien lived and taught in Oxford, where he developed the mythology of the middle ground, permeating a deep nostalgia for a pre -industrial worldidealized and lost. The English landscape, characterized by wavy fields, stone villages, slow rivers and ancient forests (elements that are found in the description of the county, breas and mud forest), comes transfigured in the narrative in an epic keybecoming The moral background of the struggle between good and evil.

Aracataca (Macondo) – A hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

There imaginary city of Macondo It is the setting of “one hundred years of solitude”, the work tells the saga of Bundía family Over a century, mixing history, myth and magical realism. Macondo is inspired by Aracatacathe hometown of the author in Colombiawhere today there is a tourist route dedicated to Márquez. In fact, the author returned to Aracataca as an adult after a long absence, e It was precisely that experience that awakened memory and imagination in him who led him to conceive Macondo. The story develops according to a concept of circularity, merging time and myth: in this sense Aracataca, located in the warm and humid region of Magdalena, with its bananas and colonial houses, becomes one Metaphor of Latin American fate and its ability to resist time through the story.