"The Charterhouse of Parma" by Stendhal (1783-1842) is one of the most important novels in French and world literature. It has been characterized as a "masterpiece of literature of ideas" by Balzac, "the most beautiful novel in the world" by the Italian Calvino, and has received many enthusiastic reviews. It is the most personal of all the author's works, with timeless value, as the adventures of the protagonist of the work, Fabrizio del Dongo, are intertwined with the dreams, memories, nostalgia, life, and loves of the author himself. The narrative begins with a reminiscence of Milan during the French occupation (1796). Fabrizio, of noble birth and a great admirer of Napoleon, decides to go and meet the emperor. He arrives just as the Battle of Waterloo begins. However, fate does not destine him to be a soldier. Through a series of coincidences, random and paradoxical incidents, he is led into the battle for true happiness, which for him is love.

The novel has inspired a film, a television series, an opera, and a musical comedy in different chronological periods, from the 1930s to the present day.