Why a Booktrail?
1943: Based on the true story of a nefarious collaboration between the Catholic diocese of Grosseto and the Fascist authorities.
The Bishop’s Villa
What you need to know before your trail
The village of Le Case is miles from any big city and appears rooted in an earlier century. Seen from there, even the war looks different–it is mostly a matter of waiting, praying, and mourning. As a fierce winter threatens, an order is issued by the local Fascist authorities: all Jews must be rounded up and detained in the bishop’s villa to await deportation.
Shy, solitary, and taciturn René is the town’s cobbler. His only friend is the widow Anna, a woman with whom he has been secretly in love for years. When Anna’s son joins the Resistance and is swiftly captured and shot by the Wehrmacht, the grieving woman vows to continue her son’s mission, and one evening, she disappears into the woods. René later learns that a group of Resistance fighters has been ambushed and the survivors are imprisoned in the bishop’s villa. A woman is among them, they say, a grieving mother and former inhabitant of Le Case.
René can no longer stand by and watch as his town, his country, and his one great love become victims of the Nazis and their Fascist enablers, and he decides to take action. Perhaps for the first time in his life.
Locations
Reset- Italy - Tuscany - Grosetto - Le Case
- A: Via delle Case
- B: Via Madre Teresa di Calcutta
- Italy- Tuscany - Grossetto - Roccatederighi
- C: Cimitero di Roccatederighi
- D: Via Roma
Travel Guide
Roccatederighi
The novel is based on a true story plucked from the history books.
“Between 1953 and 1944, a hundred or so Italian and non-Italian Jews destined for the extermination camps were held prisoner in the Roccatederighi seminary,” the author informs in the Author’s Note.
However there was a cover up by the government which kept the story hidden for many years. In 2008, a commemorative plaque was set up to record the villa’s history.
Booktrailer Review
This story is based on real events that took place in the author’s home town. It’s a simple story at heart as it focuses on a cobbler who ends up getting involved in helping those fighting against the Nazis.
The cobbler, Rene, is in love with Anna who lives nearby. Her son has been executed and when Anna leaves to join the partisans, Rene covers for her before getting involved in dangerous goings on.
The Bishop’s villa of the title is the place where Rene was captured and held in 1943. This was a key moment in the war and so the location becomes the story. But imagine being trapped in a seminary being used as a prison. People were actually held here before being transported to the concentration camps.
The author lives in the village in question and so this is a very personal story as you can imagine!
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Bishop’s Villa
Destination/location: Tuscany. Le Case, Groseto, Roccatederighi Author/guide: Sacha Naspini Departure Time: 1943
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