One day, a gypsy woman said to Amelia, “You will be a bride twice over, without ever really getting married,” and then she added, like a dark warning: “Never get married.”

The story is set in Naples from another era, a city still untouched by the globalization that, while bringing many positive aspects, has also stripped away the most profound, heartfelt, and defining traditions of our regions.

Amelia’s story is inspired by an ancient family tale, passed down to me partly by my grandmother and partly by my mother. This is the short but true story of my great-aunt Amelia: a strong, independent and strong-willed woman, who lived in the first half of the twentieth century and met her destiny too soon.

For privacy reasons, I changed some names, leaving only hers as the original, the same one my mother inherited. While the actual events are coloured by a touch of fictionalized narrative, the essence and personalities of the characters remain entirely unchanged.

From that moment on, a carnelian ring becomes a silent co-protagonist in the story; it is within the red gleam of this stone that Amelia’s fascinating tale unfolds: a tale destined to lead to an enigmatic conclusion.