Il castello di Trezzo: Novella storica

In the heart of medieval Lombardy the landscape is a tangle of dense forests, ragged hills and restless rivers. Roads are little more than narrow, muddy tracks, and villages cling to the edges of the wild, their wooden and stone houses offering scant shelter from the elements. Castles rise on strategic heights, surrounded by deep ditches and iron‑bound gates, their lords wielding power over the surrounding peasants and travelers who dare to pass.

Amid this harsh terrain a modest island on the Adda becomes a brief haven. Here lives Nicola di Mandello—known locally as Mandellone—who runs a simple tavern from a low‑built house surrounded by a garden and a few wooden benches. He ferries wayfarers across the river on two rickety rafts, offering food, wine and a moment’s rest before the road leads back into the unforgiving countryside. The scene sets the stage for the lives and loyalties that will soon be tested in the shadow of the looming castle of Trezzo.