A story of friendship, school, and the future.
Set on the Etruscan Coast of Tuscany, where iron and sea have always shaped a different kind of Italy — OraDove follows a group of high-school friends who refuse to simply inherit a world they didn't choose. Written for the young. Necessary for the rest of us.
Set in Piombino, Tuscany · Etruscan Coast · Between the mainland and the island of Elba · Available in English & Spanish
OraDove begins in Piombino — a working port town on the Etruscan Coast, wedged between centuries of iron foundries and one of the most beautiful stretches of sea in the Mediterranean. A group of high-school friends — real teenagers, with all their doubts and restless energy — finds itself face-to-face with the real problems of their city: a government-imposed regasification plant, industries stalled for years, a territory at risk of being left behind.
Instead of looking away, they decide to investigate. To understand. To propose.
The novel follows that season of discoveries: late nights researching renewable energy, debates about blockchain and local identity, first loves and the fear of the future. And above all — the friendship that holds everything together.
A story that resonates with anyone who has ever felt twenty years old and wanted to change something. And that feels urgent for those who have forgotten what that was like.
"Large multinationals are taking over hotels, restaurants, beaches — and they will strike deals with artificial intelligence to offer us hyper-efficient holidays. Will they succeed? Will we like it?"From the novel OraDove — the provocation that sets everything in motion
The author's voice — in Italian, with the warmth of the original.
Daniele reads the opening pages of the novel.
🇮🇹 In Italian
The author explains the vision and the origin of the project.
🇮🇹 In Italian
OraDove is a story. But every reader finds something of their own in it.
The protagonists carry your same doubts, your restlessness, and your desire to matter. OraDove shows that it's possible — not in some distant future, but now, with what you already have.
When we're forced to explain our choices to young people, we step outside the comfortable routine of cynicism. OraDove reminds adults that the future isn't lost — it's growing right beside us.
The novel is born from a concrete idea: school-work experience as a tool for genuine discovery. The young protagonists step outside and find their own city. Readers can do the same.
OraDove is not just a story. Every page carries a real fact, a discovery, a question that lingers long after you close the book.
"The first car to exceed 100 km/h, in 1899, was electric." — La Jamais Contente. The future isn't new — it's forgotten.
"In the archaeological park of Pompeii there are invisible photovoltaic roof tiles." Innovation and tradition don't exclude each other — they seek each other.
Authentic tourism isn't sold — it's told. And only those who grew up there truly know how.
"Einstein won the Nobel Prize for the photoelectric effect, not for relativity." The science behind solar panels — discovered by young people in a Tuscan classroom.
Nothing great is built alone. In the novel as in life, it is relationships that make the difference.
"There are books that entertain, and books that shake you.
'ORADOVE' belongs to an even rarer category: stories that awaken. The author weaves tradition and innovation with mastery, telling an Italy that is possible through the eyes of young protagonists who remind us that every crisis can become an opportunity. It's not just a story — it's an experience that makes you reflect on who we are today and who we could become tomorrow.
The characters are not just people on a page — they are mirrors in which each of us can recognise ourselves. Not just a book: a seed planted in the future."
"'ORADOVE' goes beyond traditional storytelling — it is a bridge between the present and a future full of possibility. Set in a small Italian town, it explores friendship, local traditions, and the energy of a generation of young visionaries ready to face the challenges of our time.
Calonaci invites us to reflect on sustainable energy and technological innovation, offering an engaging and optimistic vision for our world."
"I travelled through time… I remembered my own adolescence with great tenderness, full of dreams and romanticism.
I travelled into the world of new technologies, of alternative energy sources.
Then I came back — and the dreams of those young people seemed to me like achievable goals for a better world, healthier both environmentally and socially.
What did this book leave me with?
GREAT HOPE."
"An excellent novel. It flows beautifully. It addresses valid, contemporary topics. The projects described in the book should absolutely be brought to life in the real world.
A truly enjoyable read."
Daniele Calonaci was born in Piombino in 1969. School representative as a student, he trained as an accountant, then studied mathematics at the University of Siena. Forty years of work in sales, commerce, and tourism — across Italy, France, and Spain.
OraDove is his first novel. It wasn't written at a desk: it was born from years of observing hundreds of coastal tourist destinations along the Mediterranean, from deep respect for his own city, and from the frustration and hope that coexist when you love a place and can see what it could become.
The novel was self-published on 13 December 2024, then taken up by La Bancarella Editrice. It was presented at the Turin Book Fair in the Tuscany Region stand, and has been translated into English and Spanish. From the novel, a real project was born — OraDove — connecting students, schools, and local businesses through the territory.
Available on Amazon in English and Spanish — print and Kindle.
Questions about the book, requests for school presentations, editorial collaborations, or simply to share what OraDove left with you. He answers personally.
✉ Show email →Are you a school director or educator?
Discover OraDove for schools →The book gave birth to a concrete initiative: a platform that connects high-school students with local tourism businesses through school-work programmes. Authentic, certified content — created by those who know the territory because they grew up there. Wealth stays where it is created, close to home.
Discover the OraDove project →