Main Characters of the Manetti family:

• Pietro Manetti, also known as Piró.
  The head of the Sért family, born in 1825. He has a firm and determined character. He sees the family as a business enterprise and has no hesitation in challenging the decisions of other family members.
• Lady Livia Contessi, wife of Piró.
  A housewife who wishes to work but constantly clashes with her husband, who doesn’t want her to lift a finger. Mother of many children, she becomes the family’s point of reference and emotional center.
• Ulderico, also known as Rico.
  Reserved and withdrawn, he focuses mainly on work and family matters. He avoids getting personally involved and remains a marginal figure in the events concerning the Sért family.
• Maria Luigia, also known as Gigia.
  Initially attracted to the farmhand Masino, she begins a secret affair with Nené, the guard hired by her father. Her rivalry with Giachelina marks the passage from adolescence to adulthood.
• Giachele or Giacoma, also known as Giachelina.
  She rejects the courtship of Simone, who approaches her only after being turned down by her sister Gigia. Over time, she will come to reconsider many things, including her difficult relationship with her elder sister.
• Clodoveo, also known as Veo.
  Strong-willed and authoritative, he proves capable of leading the family’s interests. His decisions, however, face opposition from his sisters, who long for greater freedom. It is him who ultimately arranges Filomena’s marriage to a gentleman from the faraway town of Passosegni.
• Domenico, also known as Mingó.
  The youngest of the three brothers, he often sides with Veo. He finds himself in trouble when his girlfriend Adele becomes pregnant before marriage — a union both families oppose.
• Annunziata, also known as Nunziêda.
  Very beautiful, she is often urged by her family to marry, but instead chooses the courtship of young Maruchèt. Widowed at a young age, she later turns down further opportunities for remarriage.
• Medea, later Sister Rosalia.
  Lively and spirited, she soon begins to consider the monastic life. She confirms her calling after Ida Tozzoni shows her affection outside the church, under the town’s judgmental gaze. She is later transferred to the convent in Galeata.
• Filomena.
  The most educated and intelligent of the sisters, she seeks to carve out a path of study and a career in teaching, but soon comes up against the limits imposed by her family. She meets Silvio and eventually submits to the will of the Sért family.
• Antonia, also known as Tugnètta, later Sister Agostina.
  Born and raised with the conviction she would become a nun, she willingly accepts her mother’s wishes. After taking her vows, she remains in Lugo to teach.
• Agnese, also known as Sister Maria Domenica.
  After moving to Bologna to work as a governess for a wealthy family, she suffers the trauma of being assaulted by her employer and decides to flee to a convent.
• Adelaide, also known as Aldina.
  The youngest of the sisters, Adelaide has a lively and strong character. Uncertain about her relationship with the brother of her sister-in-law Adele, she nonetheless decides to deepen the acquaintance despite her doubts. Amedeo asks her to marry him after discovering his mistress is pregnant.

Other Members of the Manetti Family featured in the Book

• Father Don Manetto Manetti.
  Devoted to his ecclesiastical career, Father Manetto has lived in Passosegni for many years. He is a strong and respected figure for all the Sért familymembers.
• Father Agostino Manetti.
  Assistant to his brother Father Manetto, he returns to Villanova in his old age to officiate the baptism of the first Manetti of the new generation — Vittorina, daughter of Mingó and Adele Farini.
• Teresa Manetti.
  Confidante to all of Piró’s daughters, she acts as a guardian and tries in every situation to find husbands for her nieces. Having been widowed, she is forced to confront the ghosts of her past: a youthful romance cut short with Ludovico Tozzoni returns to haunt her.
• Giovanna Rotondi.
  Teresa’s eldest daughter, even more conservative than her mother, she tries to support her mother’s materialistic ambitions.
• Zolaima Rotondi.
  Teresa’s second daughter, she shows a desire to pursue an independent life, but struggles to gain respect for it.
• Luigia Rotondi.
  Teresa’s third daughter, she has a freer spirit than her siblings and ends up working instead of marrying, against her mother’s wishes.
• Adelaide Rotondi, also known as Delina.
  Teresa’s youngest daughter. She’s often overshadowed by her elder sisters and is sent to school to become a nun.
• Orsola Manetti.
  The youngest of the Sért sisters in her generation, she serves as godmother and nanny to all of them. Married to Pio Pasi, she lives ina different town. She plays a more marginal role, keeping in touch with her nieces through letters.