A brief note of introduction to newcomers to the Little World. I hope that reading this introduction will prompt you to go to the stories section for more.
Giovanni Guareschi (1908-1968) was an Italian author. His greatest creation was that of the characters Don Camillo, Peppone (and his Red gang) and of course, The Voice of His Conscience.
The Location:
A small village in Italy near the mighty river Po.
The Era:
Post World War - II.
Don Camillo:
Priest of the local church.
Peppone:
Mayor of the village and a Communist (but with his heart in the right place).
Background:
The Lord, Jesus Christ converses regularly with Don Camillo from the cross on the altar.
Don Camillo and Peppone are both physical giants and each one of them shows off his strength to match the other's. By profession, Peppone is a skilled mechanic. With loot that the Germans stole, Peppone has managed to get a People's Palace built, which is only for the Red members. This is a constant thorn in Don Camillo's side. But Don Camillo has managed to get some of the money out of Peppone for his own recreational centre for children.
Don Camillo's physical methods are constanty disapproved of by the Bishop, but whenever a replacement priest arrives in the village, nobody goes to church, no child is baptized, no old person dies. "It can wait till Don Camillo gets back" the people of the village say.
For whetting your appetite even more, I've put links to all the introductions to GG's books here. You can read these first before you go on to the stories.