College of Charleston Italian professor Massimo Maggiari is releasing his latest book, La Fortezza di Cristallo (The Crystal Fortress) in March 2011 (ISBN 978-88-96822-06-7). The Italian Program at the College will host a book presentation on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Faculty House (20 Glebe Street). The presentation will be in Italian and is free and open to the public.

The novel is between history and fantasy and is set in the Dolomites during the 1700s. It is the story of an Officer of the Royal Postal Service, Alfred Castelrut. The officer meets a mysterious woman while on a mission. Every night at the rhythm of her drum, she falls into a trance, enchanting the garrison with strange rhythms and extraordinary events. It is up to Lieutenant Castelrut with the help of an alchemist friar and a handful of Tyrolese soldiers to solve the mystery that surrounds her.

Massimo Maggiari has published numerous essays and works of poetry, among them the verse collection Terre lontane/Lands away (1999) and Aurora Borealis (2001) an account in verse of the discovery of the North-West passage. In 2008, Maggiari was recognized with the Lerici-Pea Prize for the section Ligurian Writers in the World. The same year, he published his travel fiction book Dalle terre del Nord-Alla ricerca dell’anima artica. Maggiari is originally from Genoa and is a passionate traveler, who prefers the Arctic lands.

On Friday, February 25, 2011, the Italian Program will present “Italians in the Arctic: Riccardo Cassin” at 6:00 p.m. in Physicians Auditorium. Mirella Tenderini will be the speaker with a drum performance and vocals by Glen Velez and Lori Cotler. Authentic Italian food and an Italian Car Show will also be part of the event. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the book presentation, contact MaherMJ@cofc.edu or GriffithM@cofc.edu. Maggiari can be reached at maggiarim@cofc.edu.