Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–1986) is an undisputed contender for the title of the greatest director in the history of cinema, and he is unconditionally considered the greatest Russian master. This book is an attempt to systematically study Tarkovsky's creative work in a situation where he found himself cut off from his national roots. In other words, in emigration. The director chose art-filled Italy as his new place of residence, and this, as it now seems, is nothing accidental. This book combines the features of biography and film studies literature, a tourist guide and historical research, as well as journalism, equipped with cultural references and replete with references to memories. To one degree or another, the pages of the publication examine all of Tarkovsky’s works, but the main attention is paid to his last two paintings - “Nostalgia” and “Sacrifice”. The electronic version of the book does not include illustrations (at the request of the copyright holders).