"Meetings of Value": 200 people at the Ruocco Salon for Chiara Francini

Yesterday's guest was certainly one of the most anticipated at the eighth edition of " Gli Incontri di Valore ." The now famous salon, curated in Pompeii by manager Nicola Ruocco and hosted in the elegant location of Habita79 , welcomed a loyal audience to the famous actress and television host Chiara Francini with her new book "Le Querce non fanno Limoni," published by Rizzoli.

The evening was deeply felt, at times evocative and emotional, with a warm and enthusiastic audience of over 200 people, thanks to the many valuable insights that emerged and were highlighted by the patron Ruocco and the prestigious guest Francini.

"Oaks Don't Make Lemons" is an epic, intimate, and choral novel spanning fifty years of Italian history, from the Second World War to the Years of Lead. A story of Resistance, of passions, of families torn apart and mended, of struggles that leave scars, but also of the strength to stand firm. Set between Florence and Campi Bisenzio, "Oaks Don't Make Lemons" embodies History with a capital "H"—the torture at Villa Triste, the Liberation, the Piazza Fontana massacre, the contradictions of the extra-parliamentary left—but filters it through everyday gestures, silences, pots on the stove, and unspoken words. Each page is imbued with a living language that alternates lyricism and popular speech, a language that sings, cries, and resists. It is a novel about legacy—political, emotional, and ideological. About how memory passes, hides, and reveals itself. And about the courage to not be overwhelmed by the past, but to understand it in order to move forward. "Oaks Don't Make Lemons" is a historical novel, yes. But it's also a novel of existence, a novel that questions what it means to resist: injustice, disillusionment, pain, time. And it does so with a writing style that's both cultured and full of humanity, embracing each character as if they were a true story, to be protected. Because a happy life means having fought.

" It was a splendid presentation, perhaps one of the most beautiful so far at the Gli Incontri di Valore salon," commented Nicola Ruocco. " As I said yesterday, I've had so many guests and authors, but I don't think I've encountered anyone else with the skill, emotionality, sensitivity, and narrative flair of Chiara Francini. After finishing reading her book, the automatic affirmation of an inner flow comes to mind: 'And now what do I read?' It was a great honor to have Chiara at the "Incontri di Valore" salon, and above all, I'm honored by her friendship. To Chiara, once again, I thank her for accepting the invitation and for giving us a wonderful evening." Ruocco continues, " I also want to thank the audience at the Festival, which is increasingly affectionate and passionate, because a packed house in the middle of the August holidays is anything but a given. Returning to the book, I highly recommend it, especially to young people. It teaches us, with strong and evocative messages, the importance of preserving our freedom, of fighting when we have good ideas to defend, without neglecting our memory and contemporary history, which remind us of some dark moments from which we must protect ourselves." Ruocco concludes , "While waiting for the next five final guests of the festival in September, we're taking a few days off. To all the friends and fans of Incontri di Valore, I wish you a happy and, above all, valuable holiday season!"

The "Gli Incontri di Valore" event will return in September with the final guests of this eighth edition, including Luigi Contu, director of Ansa Nazionale, journalist Marco Varvello, and Napoli's latest number 10, Pampa Sosa.