Reading ‘The Little World of Don Camillo’, set in the immediate post-war years, is to travel to the Valley of the River Po, Italy’s widest and most fertile plain, with its unique atmosphere, culture and natural history. And to do so in the incomparable company of a cast of fictional characters who testify to the exquisite humour and humanity of their creator.

In the Little World, eternal forces grapple with the absurd drama of everyday life, and hilarious and unearthly things can happen. If you keep this in mind you will have no difficulty in getting to know the village priest, Don Camillo, and his adversary, Peppone, the Communist Mayor. Nor will you be surprised when a third person watches the goings-on from above the high altar in the village church and not infrequently intercedes…

Guareschi’s message is that what works at the level of the Little World can be made to work universally, the world over.

More than fifty years on, these enchanting, wise and strangely moving stories continue to enthral millions of readers of all ages around the world. In this newly translated volume, many are available in English for the very first time.