In Esther Kinsky’s novel “Rombo”, seven inhabitants of a remote mountain village in Northern-Italy (Friuli) recount how, in 1976, a devastating earthquake impacted their lives.

“M: Son of the Century” chronicles the rise to power of the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, covering the early years of his political career from 1919 to 1925, in the aftermath of the First World War. The book spans nearly 800 pages of detailed descriptions of political struggles in post-war Italy – particularly the successes of the socialists and communists in the first elections after the war, the general strikes they organised, the fear among the Italian bourgeoisie of a Communist revolution and civil war reminiscent of the violent events in the Soviet Union, as well as the frustration of nationalists and veterans with Italy’s modest territorial gains. All of this led to widespread polarisation, violent clashes between political extremes, terrorist attacks, gang violence, banditry, and outright murders committed by Fascists against their political opponents. It culminated in the “March on Rome” and Mussolini’s appointment as prime minister – and later dictator – of Italy.

“I’m Staying Here” is a novel that explores how international tensions and Italian nationalist policies impacted the lives of the German-speaking population in South Tyrol from the 1920s to the 1950s. The story is narrated from the perspective of Trina, a German language teacher who loses her job and resists the ‘Italianisation’ policies of Mussolini and later of the Italian Republic. As the Nazis rise to power in Germany and Austria, her daughter migrates to Germany, and her son joins the German army.

“The Eight Mountains” is a novel about the friendship between two boys from different backgrounds and their complicated relationships with their families. Pietro, a city boy from Milan, spends his summers in the Aosta Valley, where he befriends a local boy named Bruno. When they grow up, their lives take different paths – Pietro travels the world while Bruno remains in the mountains. But despite their differences, they manage to keep their friendship alive.

Cesare Annunziata is a bad-tempered and lonely widower who has made a mess of his life and seems quite content with it. However, when he meets his new neighbour Emma, his attitude begins to shift. Not that he turns into a sweet old grandfather, but at least he starts to appreciate the value of his family and friends again.

“How to Be Both” is a novel that consists of two distinct but interconnected stories. One part is told by George, a teenage girl from modern-day Cambridge whose mother has recently passed away, and who recalls a trip they took to Ferrara, a city in Northern Italy. The other part is narrated by Francesco del Cossa, a 15th-century Italian Renaissance artist who painted the famous frescoes in the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara.

My Brilliant Friend” is the internationally bestselling novel by Elena Ferrante that tells the story of two young girls, Elena Greco (also known as Lenù) and Raffaella Cerullo (known as Lila), who grow up in a working-class neighbourhood in Naples during the 1950s. They dream of escaping the poverty, violence, and lack of education that surrounds them.

“The Mussolini Canal” is a historical novel that tells the story of a peasant family in the 1930s who are relocated from Northern Italy to the Pontine Marshes, south of Rome, to farm the newly drained swamps. The novel follows the Peruzzi family, including their Fascist sympathies during Mussolini’s regime.

“Stabat Mater” is a historical novel set in Venice in the early 18th century. It centres on Cecilia, a 16-year-old girl living in the Pietà orphanage (the Ospedale della Pietà), where girls are trained to become musicians and singers, performing their music behind a grille, hidden from the eyes of the audience. Cecilia is a tormented girl and a talented violinist, who is recognised as such by the orphanage’s new music teacher, the young priest and composer Antonio Vivaldi.

“The Solitude of Prime Numbers” tells the story of two Italian teenagers, Alice and Mattia, both deeply affected by childhood traumas. Alice was seven when she fell during a skiing lesson and became paralysed in one leg. Mattia left his disabled sister alone to attend a birthday party, but she disappeared and was never found. Both struggle with their lives: Alice develops anorexia, while Mattia is consumed by guilt and grows up as an introverted boy with a talent for mathematics. These two socially awkward teenagers meet at school and become friends. The question is: will they ever become more than ‘twin prime numbers’, similar yet inherently solitary and forever separated?