Of fire and silk

The bloodiest battle of the 19th century, a love story that transcends the oceans of time, magic, and adventure in a powerful tapestry of magical realism.

War does this too: it paints over all colors with black, disrupts the harmony of places, and lets beauty drip away from things. This is a story with two beginnings and a surprising ending. It starts in the present day, during the summer when Lianna arrives in Solferino to spend some time near her mother and confide in her what she never had the courage to say. Lianna’s mother, however, passed away suddenly a few months earlier, and something of her is slipping away from the girl’s heart and mind.

But there’s another beginning: in the summer of 1859, in the same village, Alvise Malastalla, known as Visio, “dies and is reborn” under the blast of a hunting rifle, chased by a man he’d tried to steal chickens from. On that “magical” and terrifying night, Visio finds a new family: a friend, Sante, and a love, Altea. With them, he will witness the most devastating battle of the Italian Risorgimento, the Battle of Solferino.

It’s the old gravedigger of Solferino, Asé, who recounts these tales of “fire and silk” to Lianna—stories of young people willing to risk everything to stay together, of love and war—and who reveals to her ancient, unexpected secrets. Because, between past and present, the destinies of people can still intertwine, and the distances between those who love each other can fade away.

• An unexpected ending, a breathtaking twist.
• A story of love, friendship, and universal values set in Italy.
• Short chapters, elegant and powerful prose.