LA RANDAGIA

A story whose secrets go back to a remote town in Valle d'Aosta. We all have secrets to hide, no-one is innocent -least of all myself.

1494: Britta da Johannes, a young, remarkably beautiful woman lives on her own. Although many rely on her herbal remedies, Britta arouses fear. The malicious lies churned out against her reach the Inquisitor's ears. The final judgement is irrevocable: Britta is a witch and she will be burned at the stake. 2014: Barbara Pallavicini, a medievalist, visits the ruins of the castle at Saint Jacques aux Bois. There she finds the last clue of her research: the inscription of a woman condemned for witchcraft. In the darkness of the dungeon, Barbara's gaze encounters the lifeless stare a murdered woman. Why has a young woman with a penchant for the occult been killed in the same fortress where five centuries earlier a witch had been goaled? Could the solution to the enigma be found in that remote past? A lot of digging will be required to bring to the surface a story everyone knows but denies. Valeria Montaldi remorselessly paints with liveliness and impactful narrative force a microcosm where everyone has something to hide and where no-one is innocent.