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The novel also recounts the story of Riccardo, a Florentine infantry man who fought alongside the young poet Dante Alighieri during the castle's terrible siege. The story of young Riccardo in the 13th century intersects with that of Umberto in the present day, and for both, the events unfolding within that castle will change their lives forever. Umberto, like Riccardo centuries earlier, will discover love there. Two protagonists from different eras, whose stories run parallel, challenge the unknown by discovering new and unexpected passions. An adventurous tale of men, arms, and love that weaves together the Middle Ages and the present day.
Umberto is a Milanese doctor nearing retirement. Out of sheer curiosity, he investigates the origin of his surname and discovers a distant noble Tuscan lineage. One of his Ghibelline ancestors had taken refuge in a Sienese castle in 1285, and the Bishop of Arezzo, Guglielmo degli Ubertini, incited a rebellion against the city of Siena that ended, months later, in a bloodbath. The protagonist, captivated by the place's beauty, decides to buy a house near the castle, which has been abandoned and inaccessible for years; he leaves Milan to move there and spend his retirement. During the renovation work, he accidentally finds an ancient Florentine coin, a copper florin, also known as a black florin, and Cesira, a clairvoyant, senses that the coin belonged to a particularly important figure, Dante Alighieri, and was lost under turbulent and dramatic circumstances. The novel tells the story of Riccardo, a Florentine foot soldier who fought alongside the young poet Dante Alighieri during the terrible siege of the castle. The story of the young Riccardo in the 13th century intersects with that of Umberto in the present day, and for both, the events that unfold in that castle will change their lives forever. Umberto, like Riccardo centuries before, will discover love in that very place. Two protagonists from different eras, whose stories run parallel, challenge the unknown while discovering new and unexpected passions. An adventurous tale of men, arms, and love that weaves together the Middle Ages and the present day.
Born in Rapolano Terme (SI) on April 29, 1960; retired; currently enrolled in the Department of Modern Literature. I hold a diploma in accounting and have completed university studies at the Department of Political Science in Florence. My family, an ancient Rapolano family, has been documented in Poggio Santa Cecilia since as early as 1526. Although I haven't lived there for many years, I've always remained extremely attached to my hometown and return there often and gladly because the atmosphere there is truly unique. My youthful passion for foreign languages led me to attend advanced university courses in Germany and Ireland before the advent of Erasmus. I therefore speak German, Spanish, and English and a little French as well. I have been writing as a hobby for nearly 40 years, but I do not call myself a writer because the word "writer" implies that one is a professional and enjoys a certain level of reader appreciation. I prefer to call myself a "hobby novelist," but before being a writer, I am above all a reader. In 1982, I won a plaque of merit at the "Casentino" national literary award for a short story. In 2006, my first novel was published: "Inexplicable Illusions," followed by other novels: The Ebb, Under the Stars of Cuba, Ana Paula and the Spirits, Dante`s Black Florin, The Missing Ring, Intrigue on Elba, Lincoln and the Pope's Zouave, Marie Antoinette's Secret Nephew, and The Uprising. Some of my novels have been translated into several languages.
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