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In 1799, amid Napoleon's turbulent Italian campaign, a rebellion against the French occupation of Tuscany erupts in Arezzo on May 6, rallying under the cry "Viva Maria." Guillaume, a hussar officer, is caught in fierce clashes with the rebels and, wounded by a gunshot, is forced to flee. Collapsing from his horse, he is rescued by Lea, a young Jewish woman practicing medicine with remarkable skill. Captivated by her strength and courage, Guillaume grapples with a heart torn between duty to his army and a growing love for Lea. What path will he choose?
A forbidden love. A land in revolt. A destiny forged in fire.
Tuscany, May 1799. As Napoleon's armies ravage Italy, a violent uprising erupts in Arezzo under the cry "Viva Maria." In the chaos, Guillaume, a wounded French hussar, is saved by Lea, a brilliant and defiant Jewish healer. He is a soldier of the Republic, she belongs to a people now hunted as collaborators. Their encounter is fate. Their love, impossible.
As the rebellion spreads and the world around them falls into turmoil, Guillaume and Lea flee through a land consumed by fear and vengeance. Every path is treacherous, every encounter a test. An enigmatic priest from Guillaume's past may offer them a way out, but trusting him could cost them everything.
Meanwhile, Tuscany trembles. Cities revolt, communities vanish, and the dream of liberty fractures under the weight of fanaticism. At the heart of the resistance stands Alessandra Mari, the bold and relentless "Maid of Tuscany," while in Florence, poet and playwright Vittorio Alfieri watches history unfold and refuses to stand aside.
In the midst of war and persecution, The Insurgency is a powerful tale of forbidden love and moral courage. Guillaume and Lea are drawn together by passion, but united by something deeper: the hope of building a future in a world intent on destroying it.
Born in Rapolano Terme (SI) on the 29th of April, 1960, the author has officially retired but is currently enrolled in the Faculty of Modern Literature (Dove?). He has a diploma in accountancy and has studied at the Faculty of Political Science in Florence. His family's presence in Poggio Santa Cecilia was documented as early as 1526, and though he left his hometown many years ago, he often returns, to enjoy the unique ambiance.
His youthful love of foreign languages led him to attend advanced university courses in Germany and Ireland before the advent of the Erasmus program, so he speaks German, Spanish and English and also a little French. He has been spinning yarns for almost forty years but hesitates to call himself a writer, as this would imply that writing is his main activity, and in fact he does more reading. Nonetheless he has much to look back on:
In 1982, a short story of his brought him a plaque of merit at the national literary competition Casentino. In 2006, his first novel, Inexplicable Illusions appeared, followed by 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 Insurrection. Some of these are available in several languages.
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