Colomba

In the early autumn of 181 — a time when grand tours still promised discovery—Colonel Sir Thomas Nevil arrives in Marseille with his only daughter, Lydia. Both are weary of the conventional charms of Italy, finding its art and scenery under‑whelming compared with the vivid expectations they carried. Lydia, eager to encounter something truly unknown, feels a growing frustration as every marvel she discovers has already been catalogued by other travelers. The colonel, still mourning his late wife, sees his daughter’s disappointment as a mirror of his own disillusionment.

A chance dinner with the seasoned Captain Ellis shifts the mood, as he spins tales of Corsica’s rugged hills, abundant game, and a fierce, almost mythic code of honor. He speaks of bandits, vendettas, and a curious copper‑mounted dagger that once pierced four bodies, sparking Lydia’s imagination. Their conversation hints at a world where the wilderness is both a hunt and a haunting, inviting listeners to follow the Nevil family into a landscape where beauty, danger, and ancient feuds intertwine.