Lives of the Saints takes place in 1960 in Valle del Sole, a small town in Italy. The isolated, rural mountain town is marked by the legacy of fascist Italy and World War II (1939-1945). During World War II, fascist dictator Benito Mussolini ruled Italy. The narrator’s grandfather, who is a World War I veteran, supported Mussolini during World War II, much like many of the other villagers in Valle del Sole. His support for fascism is reflected in his title of lu podesta, the term used for mayor of an Italian city under the fascist regime.

Throughout most of World War II, the Italian government was allied with Nazi Germany, although there were communists and other partisans in both countries who fought against fascism and Nazism. In 1943, Mussolini was deposed, and part of the Italian government sided with the Allies. After breaking out of prison, Mussolini established the Italian Social Republic, known more commonly as the Salò Republic, in Northern Italy. In 1945, he was killed by communist partisans. In the text, the alliance between Germany and Italy Is represented by two German soldiers who once spent the night in the narrator Vittorio’s bedroom long before he was born; he believes they are still haunting the house.