Alessandro Giuliani

Alessandro is the lead character in this novel. He is a kind-hearted man addicted to beauty as much as any artist; he is also very masculine as his wartime exploits bear witness. Like many soldiers, however, he is ambivalent about the war and is at bottom a pacifist. Alessandro is also an archetype of the Italian upper class concerned with refinement, the arts, and the good life. Through the telling of his experiences during the war to Nicolo Sambucca as they hike across much of the countryside where he actually fought, to his death at the end, the reader witnesses his progression from brash young man to a grateful older man filled with wonder at the natural world and filled with love. When death comes, Alessandro faces it with a grateful heart, convinced he will soon be reunited with his family and loved ones.

Nicolo Sambucca

Nicolo...