Rome, the eternal city - a research for a series

For a long time I've been thinking of writing a series. So far, I published a trilogy, of which I cannot say I'm as satisfied as I am with the other standalone novels I've written. Nevertheless, now I finally got the right inspiration and help to start writing a long series.

As you have already guessed, it's set in one of the most beautiful locations existing. A place that's full of history and culture.

Rome, Italy's heart, the place supposed to unify the business-oriented north and the culture- and art-oriented south. A city with the difficult duty to seal two different heritages, so close, yet so different.

In this scenario, I created my main character, Maurizio Scala, Detective at the Rome State Police, and this man is how I imagined him to be:

To help me with legal matters, a skilled Italian lawyer agreed to answer my questions. I am trying to get in touch with a former Italian Police officer to double-check my story and ensure the most complete consistency with the Italian Police protocol during the investigation.

But who is Detective Maurizio Scala? He is a thirty-five-year-old detective, living in Rome's metropolitan area with his wife Anna, and their three-year-old daughter, Giovanna. The biggest challenge in his life is represented by one of the busiest roads in the whole country: the Tiburtine. Being constantly stuck in the traffic jam contributes to his constant grumpy mood.

However, there's another factor to test his nerves. His name is Leonardo Romizi, technical manager at the forensic department. They know each other since High School, and Leonardo has always enjoyed teasing Maurizio. 

From the day they met again as colleagues in the same Police Department, teasing Maurizio became Leonardo's life mission.

The release date for the first book of the series is not yet decided, as I'm still writing the conclusion and check for consistencies. I forecast it will be ready by March 2021. Meantime, I will have the chance to release another standalone between the end of this year and the beginning of the next one.

If you are intrigued by Italian culture, history, food, and people, this is a series you shouldn't miss. I will keep sharing work in progress, excerpts, facts, and curiosities about Rome and particularly about the characters.

Therefore, as usual, stay tuned, and particularly, stay safe!

Under the Tuscany's sky - part 2

As promised you last week, here I am back talking about the beauties of the smiling town of Fiesole in the Florence province. Last time I lingered talking about the beauties of the archaeological site. Today we will conclude the tour of the city with a couple of other sights, which anyway do not make the whole of the attraction in the town at all.
What is interesting is that in most of the places I have ever visited, there is always a certain degree of little details which are going eventually to escape the attention of the traveler. This is not necessarily due to the lack of time one has at his availability to discover new places, but also to the richness of every single town, city or village.
Moreover, we also need to consider that nothing ever remains the same and the changes result in new sightseeings.
That said, let’s start with another oasis of peace, the monastery of St. Francis. The church was historically an old hermitage which was built in 1399, which was enlarged at the end if 1400 and restored in 1905.

The complex includes a church and a convent.
The church is rather small but absolutely beautiful reflecting a simple Gothic style of the period.
Inside, like all the monasteries have a small garden with a well for the water, which harmony will invite the visitor to linger and contemplate about the beauties of life and nature. Particularly enjoyable in the complete silence that surrounds the site.

On the upper floor is it still possible to visit the places where once upon a time the monks had their cells, which nowadays are transferred on a backside of the monastery and that is not possible to visit (unless you decide to join the monastic life).

The cells were once upon a time occupied by important names like that of St Bernardino of Siena.
He was an Italian priest and Franciscan missionary. Nowadays we would not consider his preaching as an example of tolerance because it was frequently directed, among the others, against sodomy (homosexuality) and Jews. Nevertheless, we also need to consider the times when he was living.
Despite that, Bernardino was later canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint, where he is also referred to as “the Apostle of Italy” for his efforts to revive the country's Catholic faith during the 15th century.
The cells of the monks reflect the frugality of their life dedicated mostly to the prayers and contemplation rather than to the materiality of the existence.

The scenery that can be enjoyed from the yard of the church is absolutely amazing giving a full panoramic view of the city of Florence and the surrounding mountains, which completes the beauty and peace of the monastic life. There you really find yourself far from the noises of the busy city life, to make you believe to be transported to another dimension from where is possible to look at our modern life from a different perspective.

Indeed Fiesole is a lovely spot, a must visit, when traveling to Florence, together with all the surrounding beauties, so wherever you go on holiday, don’t limit your wanderings to the main city, take the time to visit the surroundings to find real gems to fall in love with.

Under the Tuscany's sky - part 1 -

I could not write under the Tuscany's sun, because the Sun didn't grace us with its presence, on this day. Nevertheless, despite the weather conditions, there is a magic that those little towns on the Tuscan's Apennines can do.
The magic is to transform every day into something charming, and whether grey or sunny you will surely fall in love with them.
I have met a couple of old friends in Florence, and the first thought was 'what to do today?'
We all have been visited Florence hundreds of times, so we decided to go discovering the surroundings and check the beauties hidden in those places less known to the tourists.
The place I am going to bring you today is Fiesole.
This little town of 14150 inhabitants, like the rest of the Italian cities, has a long history and it was probably founded in the 9th -8th century as an important Etruscan city, and the remains of the ancient walls testify it.
In 283 BC it was conquered by the Romans and integrated into their territories.
It is also one of the wealthiest centres of Tuscany, and since the 14th century it was considered a getaway for the upper class of Florence.
The chance to visit those remains was my main target, and we’ve spent most of the time walking around the archeological site, and this is the place where first I would like to bring you in this virtual tour.

The Roman theatre:

The Termae:

The temple:

Despite the site might seem small, there are many details that deserve to be observed and the location is an oasis of peace.
Fiesole has attracted many international artists who chose it as one of their residences, just to cite a few, Bernard Berenson, Alexandre Dumas, Paul Klee, Marcel Proust, Frank Lloyd Wright, Hermann Hesse.
There are many beautiful and interesting places that deserve being described, and for this reason, I will not rush everything on one single blog. Just because I want you to have the time to enjoy the beauties of this place, at their fullest, I am concentrating today on the archaeological sites, and next week I will talk a bit more about another famous place; the church of St. Francis and the rest of this charming town.

Stay tuned!!

An old railway to time travel

The old saying that you will never get to know your hometown could never be more pertinent. I discovered something that, much probably I had heard about when I was a kid, but never really paid attention to it.
I am talking about the abandoned railway that, once upon a time, connected the town of Spoleto with Norcia in the region of Umbria in Italy.
According to the history, the railway was built in 1926 following an initial project of 1906, which was slowed down by the war. At those times it was considered a jewel of the railway engineering, crossing the Apennines and the complex of the Sibillini mountains.
Unfortunately, the second world war caused irreversible damages to the structure of the railway, and despite all the attempt to keep it running, it was definitely closed in 1968.
Nevertheless, the railway, which is long about 50km, can be still walked through or traveled by bike, and it was a pleasure for me in this wonderful and warm spring weather to have a walk on the first part of it.
Starting from the town of Spoleto, the railway has a constant slope of about 5% and reaches a maximum altitude of 625 m.
The quiet and the peace of the place, now surrounded by the National Park is almost amazing, and the walk through the old tunnels through the reliefs brings me the memories of the old times. Although this wouldn’t be considered safe to run with a train, the structure itself is perfectly preserved and allows a great view of the panorama.
Here are some pictures I have taken during my trekking (keep in mind where I was walking, for the whole distance there were the tracks of the train, so imagine how spectacular was to cross this beautiful landscape by train!):

I have only walked it for the first 8 km because I knew that whatever distance I was going to walk, I had to double it to return to the actual railway station from where I have started my quest.
I promised myself that I will come once again walking along this old railway but starting from the other end, hoping to reach the main bridge.
And here some other pictures of this stunning place:

Hoping you liked the post and enjoyed this virtual tour on the abandoned railway so close to my hometown.
Have all a great weekend and a Happy Easter.