Racconti di guerra : $b (Maggio 1915 - Novembre 1916)

A handful of short pieces written between May 1915 and November 1916, these war sketches capture the ordinary Italian landscape turning into a theater of conflict. The narrator wanders from the familiar fields of Romagna and the Adriatic coast, noting the rhythm of harvest, the scent of canapa, and the steady presence of soldiers in blue greatcoats. Through simple, careful observation, the prose paints a living picture of a world where the daily bustle of market stalls and schoolyards coexists with the distant rumble of artillery.

What emerges is less a grand strategy than a personal quest to find the first marks of war among the familiar. A sudden column of horse‑drawn guns rolls through a sleepy town, its dust‑laden horses and cracked leather harnesses appearing like a mask of conflict. The narrator watches the endless chain of wagons, troops, and messengers that stitch together countryside and front, feeling both awe and a growing sense of unease. The stories linger on the thin line between home and battlefield, inviting listeners to hear the quiet before the storm.