Today as the start of the blog tour, I am sharing an extract from Casa Paradiso: 300 Years in the Life of a House.Casa Paradiso is a recent release and the fourth book in the Paradiso Novels.

Book Description:

Lombardy, Northern Italy, 1637

Cristó Lovetta, a skilled stonemason, arrives in the rural village of Pieve Santa Clara to work on a nobleman’s house.

Haunted by a tragic past, Cristó wonders if he will ever find happiness again. However, as he immerses himself in his work, the warmth of the community and the beauty of the landscape convince him to begin a new life there.

Cristó designs and builds his own house, which he names Casa Paradiso. Over the centuries, Casa Paradiso becomes home to many generations, standing testament to lives beginning and ending, and witnessing the everyday challenges and triumphs of its inhabitants – from love lost and found, to the tragedies of war, the far-reaching consequences of political decisions made by powerful men and the evolving role of women in Italian society.

Casa Paradiso – the fourth installment of the Paradiso Novels – is a shining, evocative saga spanning three hundred years in the life of a very special house, and a book that explores the enduring strength of the human spirit, contrasted with the transient nature of life itself.

Buy your copy of Casa Paradiso here.

Note from the author: This extract begins in 1739, a century after Paradiso was built. One of the subsequent generations has produced twin boys, Ugo and Moreno, whose differences are striking and causes violent problems between them.

1739
UGO LOVETTA

The Lovetta boys, Ugo and Moreno, were fraternal twins, and although not dissimilar in appearance, they were like day and night in temperament. From the moment he had torn his way bawling into the world, it was clear that Ugo was the more forceful character. He did all he could to assert his dominance and to torment his brother with pokes and pinches, shoves and slaps. This caused not only Moreno, but also their parents, significant anguish.

‘What am I to do with that boy?’ Ma Lovetta would despair. She couldn’t leave the twins alone for a minute or set them down to sleep in the same bed. The moment her back was turned, Ugo would start on Moreno, who despite his placid nature would not take his brother’s attacks without defending himself.

Dealing with Ugo’s aggressive tendencies became evermore difficult as the boys grew. Scuffles and tussles escalated to fights involving sticks and stones and all manner of improvised weapons. When he wasn’t physically attacking his brother, Ugo delighted in trying to get Moreno into trouble for things he himself had done. He was never believed, and this led to more problems. Ugo would protest his innocence, say it wasn’t fair and rile that his parents showed blatant favouritism towards his twin brother.

Many said that Pa Lovetta was too soft and what Ugo needed was a good walloping to bring him into line. Pa Lovetta was a big, gentle man who did not believe in raising his mighty hand to anybody, let alone to his own children. He was driven to do so only twice when the circumstances had been life-threatening. The first time, when the boys had been eight years old and he had caught Ugo chasing Moreno with a pitchfork and clearly intending to cause him permanent damage with it. The second time, for throwing a brick through the kitchen window. Pa Lovetta struck his son not for smashing the glass, but more precisely because at the time Ugo lobbed the brick, he had been aiming it at Moreno’s head. Ugo took the spankings whilst laughing at his father and showed no remorse. He resolutely refused to apologise to his brother.

The incidents with the pitchfork and the brick were not the last of the brothers’ altercations. However, when Moreno began to grow bigger than Ugo, and by the age of eleven had overtaken him by over three inches in height and several pounds in weight, Ugo’s enthusiasm for picking fights with his brother decreased. He turned his attentions to other forms of baiting instead, such as mocking his twin with smart-mouth jibes and jeers and name-calling. Moreno could give as good as he got, and often he did, although most of the time it was easier to ignore the insults and get on with his own things. Unlike Ugo, Moreno was always willing to assist his mother around the house and garden and loved nothing more than going out for the day to help his father in the fields.

Bored with goading his goody-goody twin brother, Ugo sought other amusements, and there was entertainment a-plenty to be had with his best friend, Aldo. As far as Ugo was concerned, Aldo was the brother he should have had – a partner in crime who shared his tearaway spirit. What a tight little gang they became! They were both boisterous in nature and keen to throw their weight around. Many of the boys in the village were scared of them. Picking on those who were smaller and weaker provided Ugo and Aldo endless thrills. They also developed a taste for practical jokes, such as letting livestock out of their enclosures, scrumping and setting things alight. Whenever the priest, or the mayor, or some angry villager turned up at Casa Paradiso with a face like thunder, Pa Lovetta would greet them with the same weary words – ‘What’s Ugo done now?’

By the time the twins turned thirteen, it was clear to the Lovetta parents that if something was not done to regulate Ugo’s behaviour, he would end up either in prison, or dead – and sooner rather than later. He was old enough, and certainly big enough, to go to work, but with his unruly reputation, finding someone willing to employ him was easier said than done. None of the farms would have him, and as he had expressed a visceral contempt for working the land, even if one of the local farmers had been desperate enough, or foolish enough, to give him a chance, Ugo wouldn’t have gone anyway. Trying to force him was more trouble than it was worth. The blacksmith and the wheelwright refused to consider Ugo, both stating that they did not trust him around their fires. Similarly, various carpenters, masons and roofers expressed concern about giving Ugo access to sharp or heavy tools. Ugo was a liability, they all said, and most of them added that if Moreno wanted a job, they’d be happy to employ him instead. Eventually, after much asking, begging and prayer, Pa Lovetta managed to secure an apprenticeship for Ugo at the local sawmill as a general labourer. The sawmill boss had the reputation of being a tough, no-nonsense fellow. Pa Lovetta hoped that he would be a positive influence on his errant son, and that he would teach him the things which he had failed to, such as respect, compliance and a good work ethic.

About the Author:

Francesca Scanacapra was born in Italy to an English mother and Italian father, and her childhood was spent living between England and Italy. Her adult life has been somewhat nomadic with periods spent living in Italy, England, France, Senegal and Spain. She describes herself as ‘unconventional’ and has pursued an eclectic mixture of career paths – from working in translation, the fitness industry, education and even several years as a builder. In 2021 she returned to her native country and back to her earliest roots to pursue her writing career full time. Francesca now resides permanently in rural Lombardy in the house built by her great-grandfather which was the inspiration for her Paradiso Novels: Paradiso, Return to Paradiso, The Daughter of Paradiso and Casa Paradiso. Her novel The Lost Boy of Bologna was also published by Silvertail Books.

Contact Francesca:
Twitter/ X @francescascana2
Instagram @francescascana2

Here is the blog tour: