Which books should you read to learn Italian?
Read books that are short and use few different words for their level. In our table of 20 free Italian books the easiest by vocabulary are Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore (B2, 19,011 words), Enrico IV (C1, 18,998 words) and La mandragola · La Clizia · Belfagor (C1, 29,244 words). Every book below is in the public domain, rated A2–C2 by our team, and measured: words, different words and how many word forms cover 95% of the text.
At A1 and A2, books written for learners come first: see free graded readers by level, and when to move on to original books.
Italian books for A2 learners 1 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
First Italian ReadingsVarious | reader for learners | 44,738 | 9,900 | 3.5–7.5 h |
Italian books for B1 learners 1 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Le avventure di PinocchioCarlo Collodi | children’s novel | 41,398 | 3,929 | 3.5–7 h |
Italian books for B2 learners 11 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sei personaggi in cerca d’autoreLuigi Pirandello | play | 19,011 | 2,428 | 1.5–3 h |
L’infedeleMatilde Serao | novel | 24,283 | 4,010 | 2–4 h |
Vecchie storie d’amoreAdolfo Albertazzi | short stories | 27,951 | 4,783 | 2.5–4.5 h |
Fedele ed altri raccontiAntonio Fogazzaro | short stories | 34,707 | 5,185 | 3–6 h |
Il mistero del poetaAntonio Fogazzaro | novel | 60,698 | 5,718 | 5–10 h |
Dopo il divorzioGrazia Deledda | novel | 56,909 | 5,871 | 4.5–9.5 h |
I Robinson italianiEmilio Salgari | novel | 67,116 | 6,377 | 5.5–11 h |
La favorita del MahdiEmilio Salgari | novel | 113,371 | 7,184 | 9.5–19 h |
Documenti UmaniFederico De Roberto | short stories | 58,657 | 7,314 | 5–10 h |
L’InnocenteGabriele D’Annunzio | novel | 77,999 | 7,329 | 6.5–13 h |
Ricordi d’infanzia e di scuolaEdmondo De Amicis | memoir | 96,751 | 10,207 | 8–16 h |
Italian books for C1 learners 5 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Enrico IVLuigi Pirandello | play | 18,998 | 2,518 | 1.5–3 h |
La mandragola · La Clizia · BelfagorNiccolò Machiavelli | plays and a novella | 29,244 | 3,353 | 2.5–5 h |
I CantiGiacomo Leopardi | poetry | 25,789 | 4,856 | 2–4.5 h |
L’umorismoLuigi Pirandello | essay | 51,514 | 6,438 | 4.5–8.5 h |
I promessi sposiAlessandro Manzoni | novel | 230,062 | 10,406 | 19–38 h |
Italian books for C2 learners 2 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Orlando FuriosoLudovico Ariosto | epic poem | 266,145 | 7,913 | 22–44 h |
La Divina CommediaDante Alighieri | epic poem | 97,718 | 8,004 | 8–16 h |
How were the levels and numbers worked out?
Levels were set by hand by our team when each book was added to the Readlang Mobile library; they are a judgement, not a formula. Words, different word forms and the forms needed for 95% of the text were counted by a script from the text of each edition, without title pages and licences. The method is explained in Free books by CEFR level and on the About page, and the full table is free to reuse as a CSV file.