Italy: Sinbad the Sailor (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 31 – Part 2)

Franz’s hunting trip to Pianosa in The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 31, leaves him irritated and empty-handed—until the captain points toward a solitary island rising from the indigo Mediterranean. Monte Cristo, uninhabited and rocky, promises wild goats, grottos for shelter, and the strange allure of a “desert island” in the middle of the sea. With time to spare before Rome, Franz agrees to land there, intrigued by the isolation and the captain’s assurances that no permit is needed. Yet the sailors’ hushed exchange and the captain’s final remark—that the island is classed as an infected port—cast an uneasy shadow over this impulsive detour.

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