“Otranto” is the second novel by the Italian writer Roberto Cotroneo, with which we introduce the Russian reader. “Otranto” is a book about dreams and the fulfillment of destiny. Its main character is light. This is the light of the northern and southern regions, the chiaroscuro of Rembrandt and the shadows of the castle and the walls of the medieval city. A Dutch artist comes to Otranto, the easternmost city of Italy, to take part in the restoration of the grandiose floor mosaic of the cathedral. Gradually, she begins to understand that her appearance here is predetermined by a mysterious history, the threads of which stretch from the depths of centuries, forming unexpected and mysterious interweavings. The meaning of these interweavings becomes clear only towards the end of the story about truth and chance, about holiness and inevitability. Roberto Cotroneo recreated the difficult alchemy of color, the mosaic of human lives, the restless play of shadows and the mystical midday light that gives rise to ghosts and demons.