A woman is always a mystery: one must not be fooled by her face and her hearts inspiration.

De Amicis died in Bordighera. His last years were marked by tragedy and spent in reclusion; he was marked by his mothers' death and the frequent conflicts with his wife - ultimately these were the source of an even greater emotional shock for De Amicis as they led to his son Furio's suicide (as schoolchildren Furio and his brother Ugo had served as inspiration for Heart). His later works include: Sull'oceano (1889) dealing with the plight of Italian emigrants overseas Il romanzo di un maestro (1890) Amore e ginnastica (1892) Maestrina degli operai (1895) La carrozza di tutti (1899) L'idioma gentile (1905) and Nuovi ritratti letterari e artistici (1908).

Edmondo De Amicis (Italian pronunciation: [edˈmondo de aˈmitʃis]; 21 October 1846 – 11 March 1908) was an Italian novelist journalist poet and short-story writer. His best-known book is the children's novel Heart.