The Madmen’s Revenge

An inspired novel by a great writer

Agnese, whom everyone calls Steno, was thirteen in the summer of 1982. It is the magical summer in which the Italy of Paolo Rossi and Enzo Bearzot will win the World Cup against West Germany. But it is also the summer in which uncle Arturo Praz, known as Legend, gets it in his head to play his game, gathering old friends to challenge the nurses of the asylum, on the day of the final. Yes, because Arturo, Bones, Mario, Bobi and all the others are linked by a common past: they are former patients of the College – that’s what they call the city’s psychiatric hospital – and they got out thanks to a revolutionary and kind doctor, one who changed the world: Franco Basaglia. Riding her uncle’s Vespa through the streets of an enchanting and fascinating Trieste, Steno follows the incredible adventures of the crazy team to which, she discovers at a certain point, the fate of the Italian national team is also linked. Arturo and his teammates will seek their revenge, bringing anger, fear, hopes and every spark of their existence to the field, to demonstrate that different and normal often mean the exact same thing.

• An ode to the value of diversity.
• A story populated with unforgettable characters who move on the stage of a magical city.