Beneath the Porticoes

Tired of her hum-drum life as a secondary school teacher living in Yorkshire, thirty-four year old Elizabeth Miller travels to the Italian city of Bologna to take up a post as an English Literature lecturer to foreign students.While in Bologna, Elizabeth meets many interesting international students, including the charming and attractive Carlo Morettini, a twenty-nine-year-old Friar-in-training of the Franciscan order. There seems to be a spark between them, but Elizabeth finds it hard to believe that he would like her in that way As feelings develop and attraction grows, Carlo finds himself at a crossroads. Should he let Elizabeth go and accept his destiny as a brother of the Franciscan order? Will his faith and duty to Christ overcome his deep-seated physical desires and emotional need for intimacy?Could Elizabeth really bring herself to walk away? Can she live with the fact that she has changed this man s life forever?Beneath the Porticoes is a love story charged with themes of forbidden love, sexual sin, repentance, and ultimately personal redemption.