Salamander

Young Europa Anguissola learns about art and life amid paintbrushes, games and hidden dragons: painting is the magic that reveals the world’s secrets.

Cremona, Italy, 1556. Europa Anguissola is about ten years old. One quiet autumn day, during an outing in the woods with her sisters, she glimpses an extraordinary creature resembling a tiny dragon: a salamander. Fascinated by this curious animal, Europa turns it into an imaginary companion in her daily adventures.
Europa is inquisitive, loves nature and, like her elder sister Sofonisba, has a gift for drawing and painting. This story explores the childhood of the real-life painter Europa Anguissola, who was an ordinary girl in many ways, yet possessed an extraordinary sensitivity.