The Hill of Venus

In the sweltering Italian summer of the 13th century, Francesco Villani rides toward a monastery to keep a dying father's vow, carrying a secret that has shadowed his entire life. Born of forbidden passion, Francesco has always known he was the sin his father, Gregorio Villani, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitallers, desperately sought to atone for. Now, as Gregorio lies dying at the Abbey of San Cataldo, he extracts a promise: Francesco will renounce the world, take holy orders, and pray away the guilt of his conception. But Francesco has glimpsed something on the hill of Venus, that ancient slope where Roman pagans once worshipped love, and his soul aches for a life the Church has forbidden him to desire. Gallizier weaves a lush, brooding tale of fate versus free will, where the collision of crusader duty and sensual longing creates a man torn between blood atonement and the demands of his own heart. The Basilicata landscape shimmers with Mediterranean heat as Francesco confronts the greatest sacrifice: whether to honor his father or follow the wild, unholy pull of his deepest longings.