Friday, November 28, 6:30 PM – Church Museum of Santa Luciella ai Librai, Naples (Italy). The Church Museum of Santa Luciella ai Librai will host the presentation of THE VEILED SKULL, the world’s first MAG Novel — an innovative literary concept developed between Naples, New York, and the town of Naples, New York, where, curiously, there is a church dedicated to Saint Januarius (San Gennaro).
The authors, Mike Pilla, journalist and director of Patrimonio Italiano TV, and Eros Santoro, present a groundbreaking work that celebrates 2,500 years of Neapolitan history: a thriller novel paired with a magazine, distributed as a free ebook worldwide.
Supporting the initiative are several members of the Italian-American community, including Alessandro Gajano (Treasurer, Banco do Brasil, New York), Tony Sessa (President, Club Napoli Rochester), and — most notably — the Naples NY Historical Society.
The story reveals a side of Naples rarely known abroad: the cult of the dead, the capuzzelle (skulls), and the anime pezzentelle (the “poor souls”) and their ancient world.
From the Fontanelle Cemetery, which houses eight million bones and forty thousand skulls, to the Church Museum of Santa Luciella, home to the famous Skull with Ears, readers are guided through the arcane and deeply spiritual traditions of the city — meeting symbols such as the terresante, refrisco, scolatura, and scarabattole: echoes of an ancient Naples that draws strength and vitality from its past.
THE VEILED SKULL is no ordinary novel: it is an experience, an international literary project, and a journey between Italy and North America.
A one-of-a-kind creation that aims to forge a tangible bond between Naples (Italy) and Naples (New York) — a cultural twinning meant to encourage literary, artistic, cultural, and religious exchanges between two communities linked by name and devotion to San Gennaro.
For more information, visit www.ilteschiovelato.it.
Press Release PDF VERSION – The veiled skull
GREETINGS TO NAPLES FROM THE USA
- Tony Sessa – https://tinyurl.com/4h4m6zt4
- Gemellaggio con Naples – https://tinyurl.com/38xkfdmj
- Alessandro Gajano – https://tinyurl.com/yc6m6995
SYNOPSIS
New York City.
A body is found outside a church in Little Italy — poisoned with a 17th-century toxin. Next to the victim lies a human skull etched with a mysterious symbol.
Italian-American journalist Chris Caruso investigates the case, discovering a similar murder in the town of Naples, New York — another body and another skull found outside St. Januarius Church. When a third corpse turns up beside the Cathedral of Naples (Italy), the mystery deepens.
Chris travels to Naples to uncover the truth. As he explores the city’s narrow streets, he learns about the ancient cult of the dead, the anime pezzentelle, and the capuzzelle.
In a dark yet tender Naples — mysterious, maternal, and rich in centuries-old secrets — Chris discovers a truth rooted in the late 18th century, confronting a past that is far more personal than he could have imagined.
In a world where skulls whisper forgotten stories, nothing is as it seems.
Official website: www.ilteschiovelato.it
