Casale Amati

Suggested readings

Getting to know these lands though novels and poems

«(..) per miracolo tace la guerra,
qui tocca anche a noi poveri la nostra parte di ricchezza
ed è l’odore dei limoni. (..)»

Eugenio Montale, i Limoni (Ossi di seppia, 1925)

During winter sitting on a comfy armchair, in front of an old wooden stove. Or maybe simply laying down on the bed, under a warm blanket accompanied by the relaxing sound of the flow of water coming from the little waterfall.

In summer sitting at the table in the Italian garden, or under the shadow of an olive tree, surrounded by the greenery and the silence.
Here in Casale Amati it is always the right season to allow yourself the luxury of a good read.

We have a lot of readings to suggest to you, which for a reason or another – birth places of authors, the settings, inspiration and so on – are all connected to our local geography.
Not really tourist guides. These are more like tips about books, novels and poems. Because we are sure that, though reading, you can have a synergy with the place you’re staying in.

Let’s start with a classic, ideal for those who intend to visit the Cinque Terre.
A collection of poems from one of the most famous Italian poets: Ossi di seppia by Eugenio Montale, Nobel Prize for literature in 1975. Poems of an extraordinary beauty such as “I Limoni”, “Mediterraneo”, “La casa dei doganieri” written right there in Monterosso, one of the Cinque Terre, where Montale used to spend his summers. After having read them, a visit to this delicious sailor village will be further enriched by timeless images and sounds taken from these poems.

The first successful novel by Maurizio Maggiani, is based in the Lunigiana area. The writer was born in 1951 in the nearby Castelnuovo Magra: the title of the artwork is Il coraggio del pettirosso, and it’s the story of “humble and stubborn courage” described through the character of Saverio.

Another recommended novel is Le Pietre della Luna by Marco Buticchi, a bestselling author who lives in the nearby town of Lerici. In his works he combines history, stories, adventure and mysteries: the Italian version of Wilbur Smith, as he is often defined. The book? A whirling slalom of adventures between ancient Rome and modern times that never lack twists and turns.

Settled between Viareggio and Lunigiana, poetic and sometimes ironic, is Chi manda le onde by Fabio Genovesi, a bittersweet narration that in its plot includes the stele sculptures of Lunigiana, Versilia, Forte dei Marmi, Pontremoli and our nearby city of Luni. You’ll look forward to reading it…

Talking about Pontremoli, for those who would like to get stuck into a chivalrous but also contemporary novel, one interesting title could be Le avventure di Raniero di Pontremoli cavaliere del Santo Sepolcro, written by Enrico Mayer. The main characters are the count Raniero of Pontremoli and the beautiful Maddalena, daughter of the duke Carlo of Sarzana…Even here Lunigiana serves as enthralling background to the story.

And for the youngster ones a nice bedtime story to read is Polpo Campanaro, written by Beppe Mecconi. Basically, it is a Ligurian tale describing a bizarre relationship between an octopus and a child.
During a stormy night, pirates are about to go ashore in the little and colourful town of Tellaro…

Have we intrigued you? Enjoy the reading at Casale Amati then!