Tired of her hum-drum life as a secondary school teacher living in Yorkshire, thirty-four year old Elizabeth Miller travels to the Italian city of Bologna to take up a post as an English Literature lecturer to foreign students.

While in Bologna, Elizabeth meets many interesting international students, including the charming and attractive Carlo Morettini, a twenty-nine-year-old Friar-in-training of the Franciscan order. There seems to be a spark between them, but Elizabeth finds it hard to believe that he would like her in that way…

As feelings develop and attraction grows, Carlo finds himself at a crossroads. Should he let Elizabeth go and accept his destiny as a brother of the Franciscan order? Will his faith and duty to Christ overcome his deep-seated physical desires and emotional need for intimacy?

Could Elizabeth really bring herself to walk away? Can she live with the fact that she has changed this man’s life forever?

Beneath the Porticoes is a love story charged with themes of forbidden love, sexual sin, repentance, and ultimately personal redemption.