Pisaitaly Stories

Sixteen-year-old Rhyme Rose has always dreamed of more than small-town life-she's dreamed of dancing beneath the Tuscan sky. When she earns a place at Scuola di Danza Aria di Pisa, an elite Italian dance academy, she packs her pointe shoes, her journal, and her restless heart, ready to chase the future she's always imagined. But Pisa isn't what she expects. Between the intense rehearsals, rivalries, and the glittering city that hums with stories of its own, Rhyme finds herself caught between who she was and who she wants to become. Then there's Samuele Carrino-the charming, talented dancer whose smile makes her heart stumble. The only problem? He's dating Eugenia Cableri, the academy's most admired (and feared) student. When betrayal hits the stage, and rumors begin to swirl, Rhyme is thrust into a whirlwind of trust, truth, and tangled emotions that could ruin her reputation-or set her free. As the music rises and the spotlight finds her, Rhyme must decide: will she dance for love, for others, or finally for herself? Set against the golden beauty of Pisa, Steps in the Air is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about passion, friendship, and learning to stand tall-even when your heart feels like it's dancing on air.

Prologue - The Arrival Alina Moretti, 17, moves from Milan to Pisa after her mother's job transfer. The first day at Liceo Galileo Galilei is bright and golden-just like the ancient city-but Alina quickly feels the undercurrents of division between two groups: the Insiders (the wealthy, influential students who rule the school) and the Outsiders (artists, activists, and scholarship kids who challenge the status quo). Among the Insiders is Claudio Bianchi, the school's star soccer player-rich, confident, and trapped in expectations. His friends rule the courtyard like royalty. But when Alina accidentally collides with him on her first day, sparks fly-and so does gossip.

Kartika Malavasi has been dancing since she was three - ballet shoes, pointe blisters, late nights, and shattered mirrors have shaped her life. When she moves from Rome to attend the prestigious Pisa Dance Academy, she expects a fresh start. What she gets instead is pressure, perfection, and people who will do anything to be number one. Between the fierce rivalries, the whispering hallways, and the stage mothers who live through their daughters, Kartika struggles to find her place. Then there's Samuele Carrino - the academy's bad boy with a cigarette between his fingers and a past no one talks about. He doesn't care about rules, until Kartika walks in. But when something dark starts brewing between Kartika and Mr. Johnson, her dance instructor, she may have to turn to Samuele - and trust someone she's been told to stay far away from. Because at Pisa Dance Academy, every step counts... and one wrong move could destroy everything.