Le vergini delle rocce

by Gabriele D'Annunzio

"Le vergini delle rocce" by Gabriele D'Annunzio is a novel written in 1895. Claudio Cantelmo, the last descendant of a noble Roman family, rejects modern bourgeois society and seeks to father a superior heir who will restore aristocratic values and lead Italy to greatness. He travels to an isolated southern town where he encounters three noble sisters, each possessing unique virtues. Torn between them, Claudio must choose which will become the mother of his envisioned superman.