Bare Nature

A deeply reflective and poignant story that blurs the line between reality and fiction. Drawing inspiration from the life of his friend, bronze sculptor Lois Anvidalfarei, De Luca crafts a narrative that weaves together themes of humanity, art, faith, and exile.

Set in the rugged beauty of a mountain village near the border, the story follows a sculptor who uses his hands not only to carve marble but also to shape destinies. In a land of natural crossings, he helps smuggle refugees through the passages. Unlike his childhood friends who profit from this clandestine work, the sculptor returns the money to those he aids, an act of selflessness that earns him the nickname “the saint of the mountains” in the papers. The media attention for his good deeds, along with his jealous friends, cast him out and force him to leave the only home he’s ever known.

Relocating to a seaside town near Naples, the sculptor seeks solace and purpose in his craft. He is commissioned to restore a marble crucifix, a once-controversial piece depicting the unadorned, unvarnished nudity of Christ that had been covered by a cloth, which the church now wishes to remove to restore the statue’s original message. As he chisels away the layers of censorship imposed by the Church, the restoration becomes a journey of artistic rediscovery, a search for meaning, and a confrontation with societal taboos.

De Luca’s prose brims with his characteristic sensitivity and insight, touching on universal themes—migration, the sanctity of human dignity, the intersection of art and belief, and the transformative power of creativity.

Rights sold
France (Gallimard)
Greek (Kelefthos)
Germany (Ullstein)
Spain (Editorial Planeta)