L'Amuleto

When the celebrated general Maurizio di Rocca Tournion dies, his distant relatives are left to divide a modest attic packed with relics of a life spent on distant battlefields. Among the curiosities one heir discovers a curious leather case, its surface etched with crossed swords beneath a rose, scented with rose and tobacco, and inside, a delicate French manuscript penned by the general himself. His marginal notes hint at hidden motives and lingering regrets from the Crimean campaigns and the restless days of Italy’s unification.

The narrative opens with the general’s vivid recollections of siege‑ridden Sevastopol, the feverish camaraderie of youthful officers, and a haunting dinner where a mysterious stranger with “Byzantine” eyes watches from the shadows. As the heirs begin to read the manuscript, they are drawn into a world of war‑torn romance, philosophical duels, and a lingering mystery that seems to pulse from the very amulet they now possess.