La conquista di Roma

by Matilde Serao

"La conquista di Roma" by Matilde Serao is a novel published in 1885. It follows Francesco Sangiorgio, a young deputy from Basilicata, as he arrives in late nineteenth-century Rome determined to conquer the capital. Coming from poverty, he navigates the sophisticated urban world through strategic relationships, political maneuvering, and a duel with a powerful rival. His calculated ascent through Roman society leads to an unexpected love affair and a profound disillusionment about who truly conquered whom.