#BookReview of #TheBishopsVilla by Sacha Naspini

‘A WWII story of love, redemption, and resistance.‘
– The Bishop’s Villa

[ About The Bishop’s Villa ]

Tuscany, November 1943. The village of Le Case is miles from any big city and remains rooted in an earlier century. Seen from Le Case, even the war looks different—mostly a matter of waiting, praying, and mourning. As a fierce winter threatens, an ominous order is issued by the local Fascist authorities: all Jews must be rounded up and detained in the bishop’s villa to await deportation.

René is the town’s cobbler. A loner, 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 but is soon killed by the Wehrmacht, the grieving woman vows to continue her son’s mission. 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.

[ My Review ]

The Bishop’s Villa by Sacha Naspini publishes in paperback February 13th with Europa Editions and is translated from the Italian by Clarissa Botsford. It is ‘based on the true story of a nefarious collaboration between the Catholic diocese of Grosseto and the Fascist authorities‘ and is described as ‘a masterful weaving together of fact and fiction capturing the essence of a community navigating the horrors of war’.

During 1943-1944, almost one hundred Italian and foreign Jews were imprisoned in the bishop’s seminary near Grosseto. The bishop had leased the building to the Fascists to serve as a prison. Although the Jewish prisoners believed they were under the bishop’s protection, approximately half of them were deported to Auschwitz apparently with the bishop’s knowledge. Sacha Naspini has brought to life this dramatic moment in history through the eyes of a fictional, but beautifully wrought protagonist, René, the local cobbler of a small hillside village in Tuscany.

Due to a disability René is unable to sign up as a soldier so remains in his local village repairing shoes. In a quiet hillside location, the war is almost at a distance for the community but for a few, its shadow looms constant. One such person is Anna, a woman René has always loved from afar. When Anna’s son is captured and killed by the Wehrmacht for being active within the Resistance, Anna feels powerless but she soon realises that she too can play a part in bringing these barbaric murderers to task. Anna makes a decision to assist the Resistance in anyway she can leaving René fearful for her life and safety.

News that the bishop has leased out his villa to the Fascists shocks many locals. When the invading soldiers march into their town the lives of everyone changes. Fear is the default expression on everyone’s face with folks unafraid to express opinions or step out of line. René is soon required to repair their boots and seeing prisoners shackled on the streets becomes the norm.

When René hears that some member of the Resistance have been captured and are being held at the villa, he decides that he can no longer stand by and watch. As he embarks on a dangerous adventure, his eyes are opened and he slowly realises that although carrying a disability, he can do something to help.

The actual bishop’s villa was approximately one kilometre outside the hillside medieval village of Roccatederighi in Tuscany. The factual details can be sourced online but using a fictional cast as a tool, Naspini creates a very immersive and heartfelt account of what life must have been like at that time.

Learning a fascinating piece of history via a book is always a wonderful source of knowledge. It is an exciting method of discovering more about the world we live in today and how people’s opinions and behaviour are very much moulded by their past. Clarissa Botsford has done a stellar job translating from the original Italian introducing many of us to the writing of Sacha Naspini.

At times challenging and provoking, The Bishop’s Villa, is a truly affecting book. The history behind it is one that is quite disturbing but yet never to be forgotten, especially in the world we live in today. With fiction wrapped around factual events The Bishop’s Villa is a powerful read, featuring one man’s journey to champion the hero within, set against the backdrop of historical events exploring a terrible time in history.

Thank you to Europa Editions for a copy of The Bishop’s Villa in exchange for my honest review

[ Bio – Sacha Naspini & Clarissa Botsford ]

Sacha Naspini was born in Grosseto in 1976, a town in Southern Tuscany, He has worked as an editor, art director, and screen writer, and is the author of numerous novels and short stories which have been translated into several languages. 

Clarissa Botsford studied Italian at Cambridge and Comparative Education in London before moving to Rome. She currently teaches English and Translation Studies at Roma Tre University. She translates contemporary Italian fiction and poetry.