You definitely must read Foucault's Pendulum. It's what a Dan Brown novel might be if it were written by someone with literary talent, a deep and thorough knowledge of occultism and history generally, a sense of grandeur and a willingness to blend suspense with high art. I guess I mean to say that it's nothing like Dan Brown novels but it's obvious to anyone who's read the book that Dan Brown very clearly decided to ape Umberto Eco without any success.

I read it in English a while back but I want to read it again, and this time in the original Italian because I think it might work better (Name of the Rose was certainly smoother in Italian - the contrasts between the vernacular and Latin were less stark, for example). I think I owe that to him. I might even try Baudolino in Italian; I didn't really enjoy it in English. Of course, I have ALL his fictional novels for adults, so I hope to read them all in Italian at some point.

Eco was a master, a Nobel laureate who deserved the prize (unlike a few of them). He was a living giant of true literature, who transcended all boundaries at a time when popular art and high art seem to be distancing themselves irrevocably. He will be missed.