Adriana Trigiani

and her latest book The View from Lake Como

If you’ve ever fallen head-over-heels for a story that feels like home, you already understand the magic of Adriana Trigiani. Author, screenwriter, director, podcaster, and tireless champion of craft, Adriana has written more than twenty books—and her newest novel, The View from Lake Como, is a heartfelt exploration of family, reinvention, and the tug of Italy on an Italian-American soul.

The View from Lake Como, by Adriana Trigiani

I chatted with Adriana Trigiani on the Flavor of Italy podcast to talk about the new novel, her deep roots in Italy, and how the stories we inherit shape the lives we build. What followed was a lively, generous conversation—equal parts laughter, craft masterclass, and a love letter to Italy.

Reinventing a town, reclaiming a life

The View from Lake Como spins from a deliciously true historical detail: in 2004–2005, the New Jersey town of South Belmar voted to rename itself “Lake Como”—and with one stroke, property values rose and the town’s reputation transformed. Adriana Trigiani uses that reinvention as a backdrop for a contemporary heroine: a thirty-something draftsman in a century-old family marble business who’s wrestling with love, loyalty, and the gravitational pull of home. The title’s “view” is literal and figurative—the shimmering romance of the Italian lake, yes, but also the perspective shift that comes when you finally step into the life you were meant to live.

As Adriana Trigiani told me, the novel is steeped in family truth. Her people hail from Lombardy near Bergamo, with threads through Veneto and down the Tuscan coast toward Carrara—the marble that built empires and cathedrals, and in this story, a life. Family businesses, old grievances, the niece-uncle bond that becomes a true meeting of minds: it’s all there, emotionally exact and brimming with texture.

Craft, marble, and the art of seeing what’s inside

Michelangelo's David, at the Accademia gallery in Florence

One of my favorite threads in our conversation was marble—the way Adriana Trigiani writes about the stone trade with such authority you can practically feel the dust on your fingertips. We talked Michelangelo’s belief that sculpture is a matter of releasing the figure already inside the block, and how that same principle guides her writing. She even nods to Jago, the brilliant young Italian sculptor whose process and rigor echo the Renaissance masters. It’s classic Adriana Trigiani: reverence for tradition, eyes wide open to the living, breathing present.

Italy as home, by blood and by choice

Marble quarry in Carrara — Carrara marble quarries Photo cre dit

Though born in the U.S., Adriana Trigiani feels very much herself in Italy—the food, the craft, the family table. We laughed about how some of us are Italian by blood and others (like me) are Italian by choice, but either way, the call is irresistible. She writes with an insider’s grasp of regional nuance—from Lombardy’s lakes to the Tuscan coastline, from Bergamo’s mountains to Carrara’s quarries—and that layered knowledge gives The View from Lake Como its satisfying, lived-in feel.

Page to stage (and back again)

If you know Adriana Trigiani, you know she’s never content to do things the usual way. Her latest book tours are part stand-up, part family jam session—she brings her musician brother on the road, turning readings into full-blown evenings of story and song. It’s joyful, generous, and so on-brand for Adriana Trigiani, whose career started in theater and radio and has always been powered by connection.

The same versatility flows through her creative life. She’s written and directed films (Big Stone Gap), adapted her own novels for the screen, and hosts a podcast where she champions fellow authors. She’s a maker in every sense—one project at a time, each one all-in.

The Origin Project: making every kid a published author

Another highlight: The Origin Project, the nonprofit Adriana Trigiani cofounded 15 years ago that puts journals into the hands of Virginia students, brings authors to their classrooms, and publishes an annual anthology of the students' work. The goal is simple and profound: give kids the tools, encouragement, and platform to tell their own stories—recipes, songs, plays, family histories—then celebrate that work in libraries across the state. It’s classic Adriana Trigiani again: empower, uplift, and insist on excellence.

Women, work, and the second act

We talked about how many women, once the kids are grown, find a new frontier of time and power for long-deferred dreams. Adriana Trigiani urges women to treat every tool—yes, even the phone you dislike—as a bridge to the life you want. If you’ve read her novels, you’ll recognize that ethos: grit, humor, and a fierce belief in what’s possible.

What’s next for Adriana

Plenty. Adriana Trigiani is writing and set to direct the film adaptation of The View from Lake Como while drafting her next novel from her long, lovingly tended list of ideas. As always, she’s laser-focused on the work, the craft, the reader—and on getting great stories into as many hands as possible.

If you love Italy, family stories, and characters who feel like old friends, The View from Lake Como belongs on your nightstand. Find it here:
And be sure to connect with Adriana Trigiani:
website https://adrianatrigiani.com/home/,
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/adrianatrigiani/?hl=en,
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AdrianaTrigiani,
Twitter/X https://twitter.com/AdrianaTrigiani

Here are posts that pair beautifully with the themes in our conversation—Italian art, patronage, lakes, marble, and story:

Preserving Italian Monuments (Vatican patronage, special access, and why it matters)
A New Way to Experience the Sistine Chapel (tactile and audio access, and seeing masterpieces anew)
Subiaco Day Trip from Rome (with a Carrara-marble connection in the monastery sculpture)
Tano, the Italian Cheese Sommelier (childhood summers on Lake Como and a life shaped by taste)
Italy in a Wine Glass (how Italian wine tells Italy’s story—perfect for fans of place-driven narratives)

If you enjoyed this conversation with Adriana Trigiani, share it with a friend who loves Italy—and tell me what “view” you’re embracing next.