Genzano di Lucania

«La donna di rugiada» is a stage adaptation by the Associazione Culturale Gli Amici del Teatro di Genzano di Lucania, based on the novel by Gianrocco Guerriero, with screenplay and direction by Franca Amendola. The performance takes place on Tuesday 11 August 2026 at 8.30pm at the Auditorium Comunale «Fedele Zotta», with free admission

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The story of «La donna di rugiada» centres on an imagined meeting, set against the evocative backdrop of the Castello di Monteserico, a Frederician manor house in the territory of Genzano di Lucania.

Setting and historical background

The story unfolds in the last winter of the First World War. Into the age-old silence of the castle of Monteserico, suspended between fields of wheat and the wind, comes a legendary figure: Lyda Borelli, the celebrated, beautiful “Divina” of Italian silent cinema, newly married to the future Count Vittorio Cini. Legend has it that at dawn she would walk barefoot among the dew-soaked wheat, leaving behind an enchanted image in the memory of the local farmers.

The heart of the story: the encounter

The play stages the deep contrast, and the human encounter, between two worlds and two opposing female figures:
Lyda Borelli: the international diva, an icon of style and beauty, troubled by intimate questions about her own happiness and about the fleeting nature of perfect moments.
Carmela: a young local girl. She is the mirror of the women of Lucania of the period: quiet, discreet, naïve, yet possessed of a decisive strength and intelligence.

Through this bond, the novel — and its stage adaptation — explores themes of the search for happiness, the sacredness of place, and the value of one’s historical roots

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