A look at the Beneath A Scarlet Sky behind-the-scenes crew and production team. Pinos story is a great example of the axiom Mrs. Napolitano is based on three different women I did it by remaining focused on the emotions that radiated off Pino when he first told me his story. Several hours later, deep in his dreams, Pino was chasing Anna down the street when he heard distant thunder. time when courage was common, Sullivan said. His lips trembled as he said, My mamas really sick. This comes on a week when the book emerged as a top seller on the Amazon lists. All along the way, I was hampered by the burning of Nazi documents in the last days of the war, especially by Organization Todt. It reminds me of the theme of faith, what we cling to maybe when we think we have nothing left. Allied bombers were attacking Milan in waves, but there were no sightings of the planes or of the city from that distance, only flares and flashes on the horizon and the distant rumor of war. By. Communism had gained a foothold in Italy, and the Allies began to fear that conducting open trials against Nazis and Fascists might turn the country more toward Russian influence. true, I wrote to the author. Dehlendorf had been successful on Wall Street before moving out west and buying the ranch where Robert Redford shot the Horse Whisperer. What happened to Anna Marta in beneath the scarlet sky? that one teenager could have experienced and seen so much in such a short time (see note below*). Q: Why didnt Pino Lella talk about his experiences for more than sixty years? The golden light of sunset radiated off both men and the crowd around them. Tod in May of 2019, Sullivan describes some of the efforts he took 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? And Mr. Beltramini had never been better. I went home a different person, grateful for every moment, no matter how flawed, and determined to honor and tell Pinos story to as many people as possible. I did nothing.. He was the driver of General Hans Leyers and at the same time spy for the Alliance. 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. And then we were swept up, just like the La Scala performers say, playing con smania, with passion., Michele nodded, and sighed happily. My mother had drunk herself into brain damage. Pino asks Anna out on a date, and she accepts but fails to show up. Its just this feeling that I get, and it wont stop. The way I found the story was fairly remarkable. No burning. This photo, by Mark Sullivan, was taken during a conversation in which Sullivan told Giuseppe 'Pino' Lella what he had learned of Major General Hans Leyers' fate. 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. The minister and Leyers aide also claimed that Leyers had presented prosecutors with evidence that hed helped Jews and Catholics whod been in mortal danger in Italy under Nazi occupation. The conversation is described in Sullivan's epilogue to 'Beneath a Scarlet Sky.' . A high-ranking official. He knew about and encouraged the Catholic underground railroad that formed to get Jews out of Italy, many of them over the Alps in the winter of 1943-44. In todays world, what do you think it would take for a Christian to help, say, a Muslim in a similar manner in a place of war? And the hero Pino Lella, thanks to his connections, was recruited and wore the Nazi uniform. Pino was raised fluent in Italian, French, and English. of the incidents he described had occurred. Its everywhere and. I indicated in the preface to tell the story I had to do things like create Some public transport will be used. She is executed after the war ends because of her association with the general. His friend choked up, and tears ran down his face while he fought for control. that Pino Lella led in the winter of 1943-44, so I put together two escapes Fascists lost the support of the Nazis in autumn of 1943. or ask your favorite author a question with In the late 1990s, Dehlendorf was on an extended vacation in Italy when he met Pino by chance. Enlisting with the Germans is safer. Is there a cause for a greater good that youd risk anything for? For selflessly risking his own life again and again, Father Re was recognized by Yad Vashem, the Israeli World Holocaust remembrance center as among the Righteous Among Nations. He is buried on the side of the mountain above the old school site. A: Not quite a saint. She is the only one who can put him in his place. Pino Lella and the lake that doesn't exist Franco Isman Pino Lella was never at Casa Alpina in Motta, after September 8, 1943. One of them was a violinist, one was an older Now he snuggled down, smelling the sweet grass, already drowsy. Anna Marta inspires in Pino the desire to keep on living con smania, with passion. Major General Leyers gives Pino advice: Doing favors they help wondrously over the course of a lifetime. Father Re enlists Pinos help to usher Italian Jews through the mountains to Switzerland and to safety. U.S. Army Major Frank Knebel returned to California and became a newspaper publisher. Its hard to underestimate Leyers power. What effect, if any, does this have on the story or your perception of events? The bestselling book is described as "triumphant, epic tale of one young man's incredible courage and resilience during one of history's darkest . Pino and Anna have sex several more times, but it is never graphically described. 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 . Mrs. Beltramini backhand-slapped her husbands arm. 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. Are people 100% evil, or is it possible to find humanity or goodness in everyone? To younger generations its as if it never happened. Like the master builders of Egypts Pharaohs, he did it with slaves. I learned that if somebody could go through what he had gone through then my own personal problems, my situation . You walk a little too far here and its not so innocent. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in India. When you have done men favors, when you look out for others so they can prosper, they owe you. He has become forgetful and has a hard time focusing on a subject, often losing his track of thought. blogger M.K. 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. If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, wed be happy to help. Mark Sullivan is the acclaimed author of eighteen novels, including the #1 New York Times bestselling Private series, which he writes with James Patterson. Pino had kicked out a place for his hips and heels, and then taken off his shirt for a pillow and wrapped himself in the sheet hed brought from home. Edward Kerling. At age 17 in 1943, he began a two-year war-time experience that is the subject of a recent and riveting Amazon bestseller, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark T. Sullivan. Dehlendorf was stunned. Sullivan calls his book a novel. He risked his life guiding Jews across the Alps into neutral Switzerland, then became a spy inside the German High Command. 19 How did Hans Leyers know Pino was a spy? We appreciated our knowledgeable and friendly guide who went out of her way to help us appreciate Milan and Pino Lellas amazing story. Photo provided by Lake Union Publishing. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Its gripping, shocking, heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring. He wasnt upset, but he wondered when the rain would fall, and what it would taste like on his tongue. Tom Holland in a scene from 'Spider-Man: Homecoming.'. View the profiles of people named Pino Lella. During a snow storm, I seriously considered driving into a bridge abutment on an interstate freeway near my home, but I was saved by thoughts of my wife and sons. Just not in the way I portrayed it. He agrees to the deal, and the princess decrees, Nessun dorma, none shall sleep, until the suitors name is found.. Whats magnificent? Uncle Albert said, looking around, puzzled. district where Pino had grown up. He asked to rest until morning. The Last Green Valley is a work of historical fiction, inspired by a true story. Patterson also taught me that we were entertainers not educators, and that our stories were driven by suspense and mystery, but focused on emotion. Pino's father and uncle, and also Mark T. Sullivan, evidently did not know that the tragic retreat from . Pino and his younger brother, Mimo, sneak out of their house to go to the movie. I was just warning the boy about the dangers of sleeping with his head in the deep grass.. The author was a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa and was an investigative journalist who now writes books including five collaborations with James Patterson. that truth is stranger than fiction. Fans ofAll the Light We Cannot See,The Nightingale, andUnbrokenwill enjoy this riveting saga of history, suspense, and love, which is soon to be a major motion picture from Pascal Pictures, starring Tom Holland. I had to comfort him repeatedly during the course of his long recounting, and I was moved again and again. Hours, days and then weeks went by as I listened to him summon up the past. Blessed Marta Anna Wiecka D.C.Born12 January 1874 Nowy Wiec, Province of Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German EmpireDied30 May 1904 (aged 30) Sniatyn, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-HungaryVenerated inRoman Catholic ChurchBeatified24 May 2008, Lviv, Ukraine by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone5 more rows. The WWII era was a time when courage was common. Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting saga of history, suspense, and love. See Photos . Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. She died in 2014. WME and Curtis Brown rep Holland. war-shattered Italy. Refresh and try again. Major General Leyers saves four sick children from Platform 21and from death. My brother had drunk himself to death the prior June. In an interview with author and He also witnessed important events and But I didnt. To a large degree, Pino's romantic relationship with Anna Marta, a widow six years his senior, one of the small circle who knows that he is a spy, helps him maintain some semblance of internal equilibrium. If you're searching, We spent 2 wonderful days with a personalized tour of Milan and Lake Como with Mirella. I gave in to it and adjusted by switching obligations. GETTY IMAGES. A diversion from the war.. Id written a book no one liked and was involved in a lingering business dispute. After spending eleven years with this story, I came to believe that Pino was able to survive all these incredible situations because of his basic decency, his gratitude, and his love of life; because of his deep emotional intelligence; and due to his fundamental belief in the miracle of every moment, even the darkest ones, and in the promise of a better tomorrow, even when that promise was not warranted. 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. This was our first visit to Italy. All work is copyrighted and may not be reprinted without written permission from the author, who can be contacted at www.paulspadoni.com. And then the next thing I heard was, Hes alive.. 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. I dont want you to see me human and flawed and and whole. Get one wrong, and the suitor dies a terrible death. 23andMe? He went on to found Lella Sport, a company which manufactured ski- and athletic-wear. For almost two years after the end of the conflict, Allied prosecutors prepared cases against prominent Fascists and Nazis accused of war crimes in Italy. A: That was the original intent, but after years of trying to dig up the documented, fully-corroborated story, I threw up my hands. extended family members and fell in love with a woman who would haunt him the I was as shaken as Ive ever been, and did indeed pray for a story. 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. See? 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 . I often had to press him to just describe what happened versus filtering it through his meanings. Pinos anguish was so raw and palpable, it rocked me to my core. Cardinal: Schuster: Famous and powerful. And it's too bad the video of it didn't capture the photo slideshow, in which you'd see two photos of then almost 12-year-old Franco Isman at Casa Alpina being passed off as a much older Mimmo Lella. Is Beneath a Scarlet Sky fiction or nonfiction? Out of the goodness of his heart, or is it one of his favors? "It was in February of 2006. Absolutely true, Sullivan said. When big armies go to war, everything gets destroyed by the conqueror., Not always. Ironically, a few He did. Next. General Leyers. As I researched the book I found that heroes and tragic victims of the Italian battlefront were commonplace, and often intentionally unheralded or un-mourned. The ending is quite a shocker. Beneath the Scarlet Sky Records may include photos, original documents, family history, relatives, specific dates, locations and full names. Your mamas a great lady. "I recommend visiting comments under the top default reviews and certain discussions in the Q&A section on GoodReads, as well as Reddit and the Axis History forum (search Hans Leyers to find Sullivan's 2009 thread and the replies that provide info on how Leyers was miscast and abused). Memories change and fade with time. Carletto cocked his head, as if peering at a painting he didnt quite understand. I also wish that Pino could have found out more about General Leyers and how he knew Pino was the . They built the Green and Gothic battle lines in Italy. One day, while walking around Milan, he meets a woman named Anna and asks her out on a date. Beneath a Scarlet Sky shares the story of a teenage spy, Pino Lella. 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. I also think historians have tended to ignore Italy because General Eisenhower decided to pull multiple divisions out of Italy in the late spring of 1944 to bolster the fight for France. Alberta Ascari, who taught Pino to drive, lived his childhood dreams and became an Italian national hero. Shes gonna die., I heard my parents talking how shed like her funeral to be.. I went back to Italy twice more, and to Germany a second and third time. is an extensively researched novel of biographical and historical fiction that As a spy I think he believed overwhelmingly in the value of his mission, and he felt compelled to bear witness to the atrocities committed by Nazis in Italy. Not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination, but then again who is? But, as you mentioned, there comes a moment late in the book, and in the war, when chaos and anarchy is reigning in Milan, and Pino is forced to choose between life and love. Pino's best friend. To listen to the entire conversation, click the link above or subscribe to our podcast. [6] Elyesa Bazna. . The novel was based on "the true story of a forgotten hero," Pino Lella, an Italian youth who led refugees over the mountains to freedom in physical acts of courage. He really hammered that into me, and I think my writings improved vastly because of it. 1945. When he tells her the truth, she softens and they kiss. Almost by chance, Pino becomes the driver for one of the highest-ranking German officers in Italy. I recognized I had a pretty sweet life, and I should be grateful for it. They built the western wall of pill boxes, tank traps, and artillery emplacements that U.S. soldiers faced on D-Day. Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He got through the isolation through his love affair with Anna, the maid of the mistress to the Nazi general Pino drove for. 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. 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. Hes a normal Italian teenagerobsessed with music, food, and girlsbut his days of innocence are numbered. shortcoming. I had a great, loving wife, and two remarkable sons. Sullivan shows us war as it really is, with all its complexities, conflicting loyalties, and unresolved questions, but most of all, he brings us the extraordinary figure of Pino Lella, whose determination to live con smaniawith passionsaved him. Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Suspicion and The Switch, Sprawling, stirring, like the richest of stories, and played out on a canvas of heroism and tragedy, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is like one of those iconic WWII black and white photos: a face of hope and tears, the story of a small life that ended up mattering in a big way. Andrew Gross, New York Times bestselling author of The One Man, This is full-force Mark Sullivanmuscular, soulful prose evincing an artists touch and a journalists eye. Late that evening, from my apartment upstairs I heard him playing piano, a stormy and thunderous piece that I did not recognize. It was the thing that supported him. He's 92 today. Even his family never knew the full story of his wartime bravery. Dehlendorf was a few years younger, but they bonded. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior. Does he capture the mood of the 1940s? Did you see it coming? In the opera, Calafs aria comes with dawn approaching and the princess down on her luck. Father Giovanni Barbareschi, a confidante of Cardinal Schuster, and the forger for the underground railroad was also recognized as among the Righteous Among Nations for his role in helping Jews escape Italy. He certainly could have learned Pino's code name while supposedly helping the American's after the surrender. World War II Italy has never been more alive to me. Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Nowhere Man, Action, adventure, love, war, and an epic hero all set against the backdrop of one of historys darkest momentsMark Sullivans Beneath a Scarlet Sky has everything one can ask for in an exceptional World War II novel. Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author ofPlaying With Fire. Sarah Aronson: One of the things you write as her [Anna, Pino Lella's love] is: Im not ready to reveal my scars to you. In April 1945 he delivered Leyers to the Fifth United States Army and was then a driver for Major Frank Knebel until the end of the war. It is a law of nature. How does this statement inform Leyers character? They said the things hed seen could never have happened. You know I hate spiders., The fruit shop owner fought against a grin. We drove high into the Alps and Do you think she deserved her fate? With each favor, you become stronger, more supported. 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