
A sun‑drenched April afternoon carries a carriage along the banks of the Bacchiglione, winding through the verdant fields of Vicenza’s Monte Berico. Inside, a poised young woman lounges beneath a broad summer hat, her laughter light against the muted rustle of silk ribbons, while opposite her sits an elder lady of elegant bearing, her silk hat and black scarf framing a face that blends curiosity with a quietly practiced authority. Their conversation drifts between teasing remarks and the subtle tension of a generation that watches the same landscape from different angles.
The carriage halts before a towering garden gate, beyond which rises a massive, square‑roofed structure of marble and stone, its four pillars standing like sentinels over a hushed courtyard. The elder, with a hint of warning in her voice, points out the ancient statues and the Palladian design that marks the villa as one of Lombardy’s most celebrated retreats. As the young guest steps down, the air is filled with a mixture of reverence and anticipation, hinting at the artistic lessons and hidden stories that await within the silent halls.
Language
fi
Duration
~2 hours (125K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Juhani Kärkkäinen and Tapio Riikonen
Release date
2019-11-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1830–1914
A Nobel Prize-winning German writer, translator, and master of the novella, he built a huge body of work that helped shape 19th-century literary life in Berlin and Munich. His stories are often praised for their graceful style, vivid settings, and strong sense of form.
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