La Madonna di Mamà: Romanzo del tempo della guerra

A lyrical portrait of life on the Adriatic coast during the turmoil of World War I, the novel opens with a tender encounter on a sun‑drenched beach where the narrator meets Renato Serra, a young man whose quiet smile blends irony and innocence. Their conversations drift between the salty sea, the rhythmic hum of cicadas, and the weight of a looming conflict, while the narrator reflects on the fragile beauty of youth against the backdrop of a nation on fire.

The story then shifts to a small town’s summer night, where a boy named Aquilino discovers a royal coin tucked in his trousers and faces a simple, yet poignant, choice between ordinary sustenance and a fleeting indulgence in fresh watermelon. This moment captures the everyday struggles and fleeting joys of ordinary people, hinting at how ordinary lives are reshaped by the larger forces of war while preserving a lingering sense of hope and humanity.