After his release from hospital, he started writing Fontamara (Fontamara). He became ill, both from tuberculosis and depression. When the Party moved to Switzerland Silone moved there as well but was expelled from the Party in 1930 when he took an anti-Stalin position. In 1928 his brother, who was also a member of the Party, was arrested and was eventually beaten to death by the Fascists.

After his release from prison he went to Berlin and then travelled around Europe on behalf of the Party. In Italy he was active in the fight against Fascism and was arrested. He attended the Third International in Moscow, where he met Lenin. He became very involved with the Italian Socialist Party and when a breakaway Communist Party was formed, Silone became one of the founder members. While he was away at school, he did manage to return to Pescina, where he became involved in political activity and was even fined for taking part in political activity. Silone and his younger brother were looked after by his maternal grandmother. Many of his family members, including his mother, were among the victims.

In 1915 an earthquake hit the nearby town of Avezzano, killing thirty thousand people, including five thousand in Pescina. His father was a small farmer, who had immigrated to Italy from Brazil. Ignazio Silone was born in Pescina in 1900 as Secondino Tranquilli.

Il segreto di Luca by Ignazio Silone