A novel written as a long poem or a long poem written as a novel, not sure which. The main story is that of an Italian mountaineer helping refugees cross to the other side over the mountains, more or less expelled from his village by his peers, long time friends, because he always returned the money he had taken as a fee once the refugees had arrived on he other side. Going to another bigger town he's asked by the parish priest to undertake the restoration of a statue, originally the naked body of Christ on the cross, later covered by modesty with a layer of marble shaped into a mantel and now adhering to the main work.

As said written as a long sober, curt poem this same sobriety comes dangerously close to pedantism and got on my nerves after not too long.

Interesting nevertheless.