Photo: © Michel Mulder.
Monaldi & Sorti is the literary project founded by Italian novelists Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti. Their daughter, Theodora Maria Sorti, has since joined the team. Meet the three authors and explore their principal books below.
Their historical fiction brings together archival research and storytelling. Politics, religion, music, theatre and literature shape their accounts of European history. Essays, documents and references accompany the novels, allowing readers to explore the sources behind the stories.
Rita Monaldi · Francesco Sorti · Theodora Maria Sorti · Selected books
Rita Monaldi
Rita Monaldi is an Italian novelist trained in classical philology. She worked as a journalist before turning to fiction with Francesco Sorti, her husband. Their literary partnership began with Imprimatur in 2002. Her work brings the study of historical texts into narratives about European politics, religion and culture.
Francesco Sorti
Francesco Sorti is an Italian novelist and musicologist. He also worked in journalism before beginning his literary collaboration with Rita Monaldi. Their Atto Melani saga centres on a historical singer, diplomat and secret agent. Music, theatre and archival investigation run through their fiction. Together, they have also edited writings by Melani.
Theodora Maria Sorti
Theodora Maria Sorti writes alongside her parents, Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti, as part of the Monaldi & Sorti team. Her background is in Art History and Classical Studies. Her interests include Shakespeare Studies and Baroque music.
She co-authored Unicum and Opus, published together by BUR Rizzoli in 2026 as the reversible volume Unicum Opus. These novels complete the Atto Melani saga, which began with Imprimatur in 2002. She is continuing the Monaldi & Sorti literary project.
Selected books by Monaldi & Sorti
The Atto Melani saga
The seven novels, in the reading order recommended on this site, are Imprimatur, Secretum, Veritas, Unicum, Opus, Mysterium and Dissimulatio.
Unicum and Opus appear together in Unicum Opus (BUR Rizzoli, 2026). For the settings and reading sequence, visit our English guide to the Atto Melani saga.
Dante di Shakespeare
Published by Solferino, this trilogy of dramatic novels reimagines Dante’s life through Shakespeare’s language and theatrical world: Amor ch’a nullo amato (2021), Ahi, serva Italia! (2022) and Come è duro calle (2024).
Explore the English-language introduction to the Dante and Shakespeare research, or visit the trilogy archive (in Italian).
Salaì and other works
The Salaì trilogy follows the young man associated with Leonardo da Vinci: I dubbi di Salaì, L’uovo di Salaì and La riforma di Salaì. Other fiction includes Malaparte – Morte come me (Baldini&Castoldi, 2016).
Their editions of Atto Melani’s writings include I segreti dei conclavi and Gli intrighi dei Cardinali.
Sources and further reading
Publisher profiles: Rita Monaldi, Francesco Sorti and Theodora Maria Sorti (Rizzoli, in Italian). Further biographical background is available in the interview with Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti (in Italian).
Book details: Solferino: Amor ch’a nullo amato · Solferino: Ahi, serva Italia! · Baldini&Castoldi: Malaparte – Morte come me.
Return to Monaldi & Sorti in English · Read the biographies in Italian