San Antonio College Library

Two boys are born in Parma, Italy on the day of composer Giuseppe Verdi's death in 1901. Alfredo Berlinghieri is the son of a wealthy landowner and Olmo Dalco is the son of a poverty-stricken peasant who becomes a communist and labor organizer. Though the boys are childhood friends, they increasingly come into conflict as adults as Alfredo panders to the increasingly powerful fascists while Olmo fights relentlessly against Mussolini's followers.

"Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari (Italian pronunciation: [aleattso tano]) ; 18 March 1903 ? 11 January 1944 (executed) was an Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law. In early 1944 Count Ciano was shot by firing squad at the behest of his father-in-law, Mussolini, under pressure from Nazi Germany. Ciano left an imperative diary of his views on subjects like "Mussolini", "Hitler", "Italian-German...