This novel of 13th-Century Italy is both the story of Saint Francis of Assisi and of Ricca di Montanaro, a self-centered young noblewoman who falls in love with him. Francis Bernardone, the son of a wealthy merchant, was a handsome pleasure seeker much adored by the ladies of Assisi.
Through Ricca, readers see him transform through the years into a deeply religious man devoted to peace, a oneness with nature and faith in God. Ricca's family is horrified by her continued pursuit of her love and sends her to a convent in Venice.
But Italy becomes caught up in the zeal of the fifth Crusade, and Ricca follows Francis to Damietta in Egypt where she witnesses the horrors of war and a city under siege. There she also comes to realize that Francis is truly devoted to his religious life and will never return to the secular world. The sights, smells and biases of 13th-Century life are vividly and realistically portrayed.
Italy