Then the deeper story began to surface. After Cardinal Schusters death, the future Pope John Paul II took up Schusters cause for sainthood and beatified him. Yet as selfless as he was, in the moment that mattered most, he put life before love. After Pino and Major General Leyers are nearly killed by a British fighter plane, Leyers opens up to Pino and shares a bit about his life. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitlers left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reichs most mysterious and powerful commanders. Pino, Mr. Beltramini said, watch out, or there will be spider webs across your ears by morning., Mrs. Beltramini, a pretty, frail woman who always seemed to be suffering some malady or another, scolded weakly, Why did you say that? Were it not for Sullivan's compulsion to go out of his way to help convince folks believed the novel represents a story that "hews closely to what happened to" Lella, I'd not likely stumble across the record of that interview and ultimately listen to it. Nessun Dorma is a towering piece that builds and builds, demanding that the singer grow stronger, reveling in his love for the princess and surer of victory with every moment that ticks toward dawn. Which brings me to your own journey, then, with this book. Aka: II Duce . When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an commission. He genuinely likes people. . I just never thought it would take that long. Even his family never knew the full story of his wartime bravery. Did Alberto Ascari teach Pino Lella to drive? So many other characters had died before I heard about Pino Lella, and the Nazis had burned so many documents surrounding his story that even after ten years of research I had to make informed assumptions in the narrative. "It was in February of 2006. It was the thing that supported him. efficiently. The rising notes and phrases all sounded to Pino like two improbable angels singing, one high through his fathers fingers, and one low in Mr. Beltraminis throat, both more heavenly inspiration than skill. The reality is that the rumblings about fraud are because Beneath a Scarlet Sky is marketed as based on a true story and a few people are feeling duped by how much truth was included. It was in February of 2006. For example, I couldnt tell the story of the thirty or so escapes See Photos. I knew what he had done is open up his scarred heart, and I wanted to have that as a theme early, because I believe that is when we are made whole in the eyes of other people, when we can show them our flaws and our scars. Pino Lella is 91, and still lives on Lake Maggiore where he can see north to the Alps. After the war, Mr Lella worked as a car salesman in California for a time. Which company is best for DNA testing for Italian Americans? Pino Lella. He rides a mountain bike . . Refresh and try again. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitlers left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reichs most mysterious and powerful commanders. Later, Lello enlisted in the German Army to avoid being drafted into it. Mr Lellas parents had pressed him to volunteer for the job to avoid being conscripted by the Germans and sent to the front line. Ask the Author. And the focus of journalists, historians, and novelists turned largely to the drama of D Day and its aftermath. The novel's protagonist, Pino Lella starts out as a carefree Italian youth whose main concern is finding love. The only thing that I did not like about this book--compelled, though by the truth of what really happened--SPOILER--is the death of Anna.I think that in most pure fiction books, she would have lived. Its gripping, shocking, heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring. For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. That scene is the emotional crucible of the novel, and one I had to pry out of him more than 60 years later. His love for Anna, his love for his family, his love for his country. for accuracy: In late March 2006. This was our first visit to Italy. It was excruciating to listen to either man because you could never relax. For years, I had no idea why. What was your initial reaction during that scene? Pascal and OConnor will produce and Averie Huffine found the project and will shepherd it. When Lellas courage falters, he is bolstered by his love for a young woman named Anna, and for the life he dreams they will one day share. EXCLUSIVE: Spider-Man: Homecoming producer Amy Pascal and star Tom Holland have found another film on which to collaborate. Why do you think he does this? Leyers and other men responsible for atrocities were set free, and subsequent generations of Italians were left with little shared memories of what exactly had happened in northern Italy during the war. Knebel told him to be at a certain hotel in Milan early on the morning of May 5. In the late 1990s, Dehlendorf was on an extended vacation in Italy when he met Pino by chance. )By the way, the Oct 2017 Wagner College presentation includes a number of fibs not present in the book, along with other informative clues. Now, get some sleep.. They built the western wall of pill boxes, tank traps, and artillery emplacements that U.S. soldiers faced on D-Day. Or is this violence just as condemnable? The author was a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa and was an investigative journalist who now writes books including five collaborations with James Patterson. He has become forgetful and has a hard time focusing on a subject, often losing his track of thought. Major General Hans Leyers moved to the small German town of Eischweiller upon being released from POW camp after the war crimes charges were dropped. Did this scene change the way you thought about him? WW II freedom fighter Pino Lella. And the hero Pino Lella, thanks to his connections, was recruited and wore the Nazi uniform. Anna Marta took a bullet to her heart crumpled back against the wall and died in the dust, as Pino watched helplessly when a partisan firing squad executed. He risked his life guiding Jews across the Alps into neutral Switzerland, then became a spy inside the German High Command. 15 What did Pino Lella do after the war? It translates as Plenipotentiary to the Reich Minister for Armaments and War Production in Italy.. More nicknames and disparaging terms for Italians: Those G-words, Ancestry makes big advance in accuracy in Italian ethnic formulas. There is a moment when Colonel Rauff, the head of the Gestapo in Milan, helps Father Res boys corral oxen into a pen. Q: The book is dedicated, in part, to Robert Dehlendorf, who heard the tale first, and rescued me. On the way to the dinner party where you learned about Pino Lella, you contemplated suicide and prayed for a story, something greater than myself, a project I could get lost in. You were saved by that story. You will learn about a 1985 Lella interview in which he paints a wildly different, almost recognizable picture of himself and his wartime activities and experiences. After he died, my friend was rummaging through his dads attic and found a box that contained a silver star for valor and a citation for Peters acts of selfless bravery at Monte Casino, one of the most brutal battles of World War II, on any front. Leyers had a great deal of wealth, but its source remains unclear. This was true everywhere I looked. Anna Marta took a bullet to her heart crumpled back against the wall and died in the dust, as Pino watched helplessly when a partisan firing squad executed her for the crime of being Leyers maid. Pinos father played the opening strains of the melody of Nessun Dorma, or None Shall Sleep, a soaring aria for tenor in the third act of Giacomo Puccinis opera Turandot. his is a great story, made a thousand percent better by its being essentially true history. How did your gut feeling change as the novel progressed? In the preface, author Mark Sullivan admits to being suicidal the night he came up with the idea for. composite characters and stitch lines of plot in a way that tell the story more The life of Pino Lella, only recently revealed and narrated in the book "Beneath a scarlet sky", by the American writer Mark Sullivan, sounds like the script of a war movie. Almost by chance, Pino becomes the driver for one of the highest-ranking German officers in Italy. But I didnt. Father Re organized the escapes. Like he doesnt love her., He doesnt show it. It seems so. Beneath a Scarlet Sky is an epic tale told on a sprawling canvas, but I tried to stay aware of the pace of the story at all times. major events truly took place. visited the site of a Catholic boys school that served as a staging facility He stopped, and she kept on, disappearing into the crowd. e track upcoming movies through all stages of film production. See Photos. With our tour, you will walk in the footsteps of this Italian hero during the most dramatic years of Milan, following his adventures in the wounded city occupied by the Nazis. They, like Pino, witnessed men and women at their most noble and at their most savage. He really hammered that into me, and I think my writings improved vastly because of it. 2 reviews. Hes a normal Italian teenagerobsessed with music, food, and girlsbut his days of innocence are numbered. The former must hew to the documented facts and eye-witness accounts. I went in that direction, and am glad I did. I see him now very guilty of the atrocities he committed upon the people of Italy. //]]> Sullivan and Lake Union Publishing decided that Beneath A Scarlet Sky would suit the female market best, implying that it was not just about War, daring, and adventure but also about love. Northern Italy descended into anarchy, and public revenge killings were widespread. I realized very early on, for example, that in addition to Pinos story I could tell the broader history of the fight for what Winston Churchill called the soft underbelly of Europe.. Pino Lella was an Italian boy who challenged his age, overcame the crisis he faced, and went down to the rescue at the age of seventeen. . Records may include photos, original documents, family history, relatives, specific dates, locations and full names. . Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share. the experiences of Southern Italians, the bitter animosity that developed I did nothing.. Its like hes afraid to.. What makes this book Lello also became a vital spy for the Partisan resistance. Sullivan and Amazon know the market and how to best get the story out. readers have given the book mediocre reviews because they find it unbelievable For more information on recent developments that definitively establish it is fair to categorize the book as a literary fraud and hoax, start with comments in Philip's top default review, the recent comments to Mike Lella's answer to ''Is Pino still living'' question in the Q&A section on the book page, as well as my review and discussion comments at, More questions about Beneath a Scarlet Sky. Benito: Mussolini: The Fascist Dictator. Did you trust Anna? When I received a traffic ticket while driving a rental car in Italy in 2011, I wondered what would happen if I didnt pay the fine. . When you have done men favors, when you look out for others so they can prosper, they owe you. You knew some odd note was coming, and it could be so sour at times, it was, well, embarrassing. Major General Leyers gives Pino advice: Doing favors they help wondrously over the course of a lifetime. Known to Allied Intelligence only as Observer, Lella endures the horrors of WWII and the Nazi occupation by secretly feeding intel to the Allies that was strategically important enough to turn the tides of the war. To younger generations its as if it never happened. They said the things hed seen could never have happened. All Rights Reserved. The catch? Calaf says that if she can figure out his real name before dawn he will leave, but if she cant, she must willingly marry him. Everybody has their scars, and I learned that from him. In my experience older Italians dont talk freely about the war. What will happen if you dont pay your ticket for a traffic violation in Italy? Anna is six years his senior, a woman with a mysterious past, but she becomes Pinos confidante and his lover. Yet it is all true. On May 2, 1945, the day hostilities between Allied and German forces was halted, Knebel asked Pino if he would do America a favor. Mentally, he's starting to display the normal cognitive ravages of aging. Why or why not? If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Why do you think that is? Cardinal: Schuster: Famous and powerful. I had an amazing story to tell. So no one remembers.. under the direction of a Catholic priest to smuggle hundreds of Jews to neutral create a labor force of Italian slaves. After completing the book and finding out their destinies, did you feel each character got what they deserved? You know I hate spiders., The fruit shop owner fought against a grin. Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. Joseph lived in 1930, at address, New York. What happened to Anna in beneath a scarlet sky? Every time Hitler invaded a new country, he took every able-bodied male and called them forced workers. Why did Mark Sullivan write Beneath a Scarlet Sky? Are people 100% evil, or is it possible to find humanity or goodness in everyone? The boys climbed over the wall and walked down rows of trees heavy with fruit. The instrument was Micheles most treasured possession, and he held it lovingly as he brought it under his chin and jawbone and raised his bow. shortcoming. Beneath A Scarlet Sky is coming out as a release To Be Announced (TBA). Q: A self-described adventure nut, youve said youre attracted to stories where characters are pushed to their limits and Pino Lella, the hero of Beneath a Scarlet Sky, is definitely one of these characters. But the general was never tried, and was released from a POW camp outside Innsbruck, Austria twenty-three months after the wars end. First, became paler and paler, and smaller and smaller. 23andMe? Tom Holland has been cast as Pino Lella. Theres a train wreck about to happen, Carletto said. Why or why not? Giovanni: Barbareschi: A seminarian. . Contact the supplier for availability. weapon-producing factories. Pino had thought it would take a full orchestra and a famous tenor like Fleta to create the arias emotional triumph. They, like Pino rose to challenge after challenge, responded, and in victory and in tragedy promptly buried their memories, and told no one. Spider-Man: Homecoming star Tom Holland is set to reunite with producer Amy Pascal on an adaptation of Mark Sullivan 's novel Beneath a Scarlet Sky, which has been acquired by Pascal Pictures. What is the main idea of Beneath a Scarlet Sky? A spy for the Allies and a participant in the underground railroad that protected Italy's Jews during World War II, Giuseppe Lella considered himself a coward until an American author persuaded him to share his story with the world. Pino Lella, the subject of my novel, BENEATH A SCARLET SKY, on Lake Orta in northern Italy, with his beloved Alps behind him. Q: When you first talked to Pino in real life, he was reluctant to tell his story, believing he was more a coward than a hero. I also wish that Pino could have found out more about General Leyers and how he knew Pino was the . One old partisan told me they were young and wanted to forget those terrible times. Just a few months shy of Pinos 18th birthday, his father calls him back to Milan and demands that he enlist instead of waiting to be drafted. Movie Insider is a registered service mark of The Movie Insider LLC. Yes. Leaving Italy that first time, I felt blessed to be alive. I recognized I had a pretty sweet life, and I should be grateful for it. He agrees to the deal, and the princess decrees, Nessun dorma, none shall sleep, until the suitors name is found.. As the war ended, mobs of otherwise ordinary citizens became This comes on a week when the book emerged as a top seller on the Amazon lists. Edward Kerling. Anna Lella and 4 other siblings. If you or members of your book discussion group lived through World War II, here or abroad, how do your recollections match the emotions that you are reading here? that the writing is simplistic and not especially literary in tone. In the opera, Calafs aria comes with dawn approaching and the princess down on her luck. They crossed the Po River, and long before dusk, while the countryside still lay blanketed in summer torpor, the train squealed and sighed to a stop amid gently rolling farmland. hometownweekly.net/medfield/sulli PublishedNovember 30, 2017 at 5:33 AM MST, Montana Public Radio | If you were Pino, would you take advantage of the opportunity, knowing it could put your family in significant danger? We want to hear from you! A: Its not unusual. Hans: Leyer: A man who Pino served for as driver. What are you talking about? I struggled a bit, but soon came around to his way of thinking, which was essentially that novel writing was like house building. Some public transport will be used. unspeakable brutality and witnessed grievous losses because of conflicts among Did you see it coming? .. He asked if we could talk about other things. Neither boy appears in any of the photos Isman has of the years at Casa Alpina. Kopkow was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of captured Allied agents. Enjoy! Maria Coletta McLean, author of My Father Came from Italy. Franco was very surprised to see himself appear in the slideshow, captured in the video of Sullivan's April 2018 New Canaan library presentation (also on YouTube). She almost dies along the way. boy whose family home in Milan was destroyed by Allied bombers. Sadly, there are few people remaining who have first hand experience of WW2. Q: In real life and in the book, Pino was surrounded by brave, talented people who accomplished great things during, and after, the war. We had a few short days in Milan and we sa, My husband and I visited Milan and Valeria helped us to get to know the best of Milan, she knows everything about, My friend and I visited Milan in May and had a very tight schedule due to flight times etc so were keen to pack in, Thinking back to our short stay in Milan early last year and how much we enjoyed our walking tour with Valeria. Pino Lella. railroad that led Jews out of Italy, and we walked the streets of the fashion The conversation is described in Sullivan's epilogue to 'Beneath a Scarlet Sky.' . The Beltraminis broke out five ripe cantaloupes. during the summers as a child Pino and Mimo were sent to a missionary called Casa Alpina near lake Como. We had a list of things. During that time, and apart from the details of his war story, Pino taught me about life and his values and the many, many joys hed been blessed with after handing over General Leyers to U.S. Paratroopers on the last day of the war. Did he actually get the job of driver to General Leyers by fixing his car? Father Re enlists Pinos help to usher Italian Jews through the mountains to Switzerland and to safety. defined enemies who forced one person after another to decide who they were He was seventy-nine, and living in a decaying old villa in the beautiful town of Lesa on Lake Maggiore north of Milan. . Mrs. Napolitano is a pregnant Italian Jew who successfully escapes over the mountain pass in the dead of winter, in one of the most dramatic passages in the book. Pino said, You okay?, Carletto shrugged. Knowing youd have to work for the enemy, what would you have done if you were in Pinos shoes? Is Beneath A Scarlet Sky going to be a movie? blood-thirsty avengers, executing anyone suspected of being Fascists or He was evasive at times. 2: Greta : Pino's Austrian aunt . And that is the goal. And, of course, Anna gave him strength. Hed also lived in California for more than thirty years, so there was no need for an interpreter. Hes one of these 'instantaneous friends' kind of guys: very loving, very warm, very giving. //