Umberto Boccioni, 1911

I just read the most beautiful book- a Love story-& recommended by Ulla of the blog Model's Own. I did not read it in Italian, She may have, as she speaks five languages-Italian must be one? I don't know. Nonetheless, I highly suggest it to you- whether English or Italian.

I was ready for a pure book.
A book that moved me away from some cumbersome novels & biographies.
Cleanse the palate.
The Light in Between did just that. The author Marella Caracciolo Chia, niece of Marella Agnelli, narrates the story. She found it hidden amidst in depth research on a related subject and this little twist stopped her cold.
She had to write this book.
Why?
It must be that moment of finding a story that needed to be told, small pieces fitting- and yet still mystery. I was caught up in her findings and the letters of its two unlikely lovers- Italian Princess Vittoria Colonna, wife of Prince Leone Caetani, Duke of Sermoneta, & Futurist painter Umberto Boccioni . The affair unfolds in the summer of 1916, against the backdrop of Lake Maggiore and Vittoria's retreat, the Isolino, a small island on the Lake.

Vitorria in 1898

Summer of 1916, on the Isolino

What captivates me with The Light in Between is Vittoria's love for her island, her gardens, her house and her need to be loved. The dynamic Buccioni swept in to her life with full force -what happened?
and what did Vittoria lose in its wake?

Love-don't we all understand that?

the young Boccioni-a self portrait