The Secret of Rioba’s Nose
Venice, January 1945. Emma works as an apprentice at Sior Bepi’s bakery. Despite the anxiety caused by the presence of German soldiers in the streets, she enjoys her work—the delivery rounds, the smell of fresh bread, and Elio’s company. However, lately, the people around her seem to be keeping too many secrets. What is in the red notebook her brother asks her to hide under the statue of Sior Rioba in Campo dei Mori? Who is the student with the dictionary, Elio’s mysterious friend? And why does Venice one day wake up all painted in red?
A fresh coming-of-age novel about the final months before the Liberation, inspired by historical events.
By the same author or illustrator
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The Gang of Lingotto
November 1918. The war has just ended and Guido, aged fifteen, leaves the Asiago Plateau to move to Turin with his father: the Big Factory is looking for skilled carpenters for its new plant. The city seems wonderful to him, full of things to discover. Guido soon makes new friends at the Lingotto, where he learns a language of freedom,…
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Lea’s Villa
A tender and evocative story about growing up and finding your place in the world, between the quiet heroism of everyday gestures, a complicated and loving bond between brother and sister, and the hidden magic of a wild corner of the city. Tito lives in Rome, near Villa Pamphilij, which his unbearable sister Lea simply calls “the Villa.” Tito is…
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Even the Devil Gets Tired
When her grandmother tells her the story of the Devil’s Saddle, Efi cannot stop thinking about that poor devil alone, defeated by a horde of angels. So she asks her aunt, who studies flamingos, to go with her to the promontory overlooking the gulf of Cagliari, called the Devil’s Saddle, to learn his side of the story. There she meets…
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The Boy, the Wolf and the Way Home
Giorgio is afraid of thunderstorms, wolves, and even his father, who came back a different man from the war. Only for Marianna, the girl he likes, he finds the courage to ride his bike at night, to get her some special shells from the seaside. But on his way there he finds a wounded wolf, who would probably die without…
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My Brother Who Speaks With Trees
Tommaso Biondo climbed Pizzo Sella, a hill in Palermo, and never came back. Since then, that barren hill, defaced by housing speculation, has greened up. A miracle? Thirty years later, when his brother Andrea receives an award in recognition of Tommaso’s service to the city, his speech brings the Botanical Garden Band back to life. The extraordinary adventure of five…
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Xenia Against Time
Xenia came into the world with a somersault, Alma the cat has a white fur coat. They chose each other, and yet one day, Alma finds the door open and runs away from home. Xenia together with Leone, her best friend, go out to look for her and come across the hermit, a mysterious woman who speaks in riddles and…
