Italian author Marcella Nardi was born in the small medieval town Castelfranco Veneto, not far from Venice. Her first strong visual memory spans a drawbridge above a moat that leads to a castle, and a real castle it is. Castelfranco Veneto means French Castle; it is here in this area where the Franks invaded Italy under Charlemagne. The town originates from the majestic castle built by the commune of Treviso in the course of its conflict against Padua, which was at that time controlled by the Franks.
History notwithstanding, the summer air of Castelfranco Veneto is fragrant with jasmine and its walls are decorated with window boxes crammed full of coiling vines and a profusion of trailing flowers. Outside of the moat, there is a modern village, but crossing the moat marks the entry into another passage of time. The walkway along the sea, wending around the moat, is centuries old and dotted with grand statues and monuments. The elusive Renaissance painter Giorgione walked here. And it is also here where the imprint of the mystery and magic of medieval lore has become a hallmark of Marcella Nardi’s legacy as a writer.
It is no surprise that Ms. Nardi’s books often include medieval architecture, hidden passageways, and streets too narrow and winding to navigate a vehicle larger than a small car. She is known for her mysteries, detective stories, modern or medieval, with Italian stylized flair. Her first detective novel led her to write a series of six books. The main character and heroine is a police commissioner named Marcella Randi, who works in the homicide department of the central Milan police station. Nardi notes that the name Marcella Randi is a derivative of her own name, and further admits that the fictional Marcella captures the essence of her own true personality.
Every writer likes to try something new and different. It all lends itself to improving the precision of one’s craft as a writer. Nardi has broken out of her mystery genre on occasion by writing both a paranormal novel and a romance novel. In general, though, she prefers mysteries, thrillers, suspense. Her latest book, Joshua and The Brotherhood of the Ark (Italian: Joshua e la Confraternita dell’Arca), is a historical thriller that keeps the reader on pins in needles until its spellbinding end. Joshua and The Brotherhood of the Ark is Nardi’s first book to be translated into English to reach a broader-based audience in the United States.
A blend of history and mystery, Joshua and The Brotherhood of the Ark illuminates the darkest scenarios in the history of both Christianity and Judaism. The novel unravels the greatest mysteries in the history of the world. What is the Ark of the Covenant? What is hidden inside it? Many more questions are posed about the real identities of Moses, Joseph and his son Joshua, the twelve apostles, and even the true son of God. And finally, who is so intent on keeping the answers to these mysteries in the dark that they will stop at nothing, even if they have to commit murder?
Marcella Nardi speaks of the story behind the story. “For this novel, I was inspired by two of the most intriguing theories in the religious field. Scholars still squabble over these theories, whether they be atheists, agnostics or believers with strong faith.” Joshua and The Brotherhood of the Ark endeavors to bring a sobering truth and clarity to the deepest, darkest secrets of ancient history and beyond.
Marcella
Nardi
Writing from the Heart
scrivendo con il cuore
by Patricia Vaccarino