“As events unfold, [narrator Michael] Brusasco turns René, an unassuming village cobbler who is secretly in love with Anna, a widowed seamstress, into a man with a purpose . . . Brusasco captures the people’s fear of the Nazis and resentment toward the seemingly pampered Jews in the villa while also revealing the underground collaboration between the Fascists and the Catholic Church.” –AudioFile Magazine

From the author of Nives, a story of love, redemption, and resistance set in Italy during WWII

Maremma, Tuscany, November 1943. Le Case is a village far from everything. Seen from there, even the war looks different—mostly waiting, prayers, poverty. As a fierce winter looms, an order is issued to arrest all Jews and detain them in the bishop’s villa, awaiting deportation.

René is the town’s shoemaker. Everyone calls him Settebello, “lucky seven,” a nickname he got at a young age after losing three fingers on a lathe. Now he’s fifty years old. Shy, solitary, taciturn. No family or acquaintances—except for Anna, a lifelong friend who could have been something more. René never had the courage to declare his feelings. In fact, he never had the courage to do anything. His days are always the same: home and work—keep a straight path.

When Anna’s son Edoardo—who had secretly joined the Resistance—is captured and shot by the Wehrmacht, the woman vows to continue his mission. One evening she disappears, leaving René a note with a few instructions. When news spreads that a group of rebels have fallen into an ambush and are locked up in the bishop’s villa and that among them there’s a woman, Settebello can no longer just watch.

Masterfully weaving together personal and historical narratives, Naspini captures the essence of a community navigating the horrors of war. Inspired by real events, The Bishop’s Villa is a poignant reflection on the power of memory and the capacity of the human spirit to resist even in the darkest of times.