In an evocative tale that brings the Italian Renaissance gloriously to life, following a seemingly unrelated trail of clues-a name whispered in the marketplace by a hooded monk, a secret message painted by Sandro Botticelli on the wall of the Vespucci family church-Guid'Antonio and Amerigo chase across Florence to the workshops of Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, to churches where frescoes seem to fly off the walls, from Florence to the village where the girl disappeared, and, finally, to the hilltop of Vinci itself. Faced with losing control of the city, Lorenzo enlists Guid'Antonio, his friend and staunch political ally, to investigate the tears. Angry and fearful Florentines interpret these stunning events as signs of God's wrath for their support of the city's leader, Lorenzo de' Medici, and Lorenzo's refusal to end his war with the Pope. Equally disturbing, a revered painting of the Virgin Mary is weeping in Guid'Antonio's family church. Marauding Turks have abducted a beautiful young girl and sold her into slavery. (Dec.The year is 1480, and celebrated Florentine lawyer Guid'Antonio Vespucci and his nephew, Amerigo, return home to Italy from a government mission to find their dreams of peace shattered. Backed up by sure-handed storytelling and scrupulous research into the period, White creates richly evocative descriptions of Renaissance-era Florence certain to please the amateur historian and armchair tourist.
Tasked with investigating by city leader Lorenzo de’ Medici, who’s preoccupied by his war against the pope, Guid’Antonio partners with his favorite nephew, Amerigo, and uncovers even more mystery, including a secret message painted by artist Sandro Botticelli on the church’s wall. The Florentines are equally abuzz, though, over a painting of the Virgin Mary in Guid’Antonio’s family church that has miraculously begun to shed tears.
Returning from a government mission, he finds his home city distraught over the kidnapping of a wealthy young woman, Camilla Rossi da Vinci, supposedly by Turks. Fans of historical mysteries will thoroughly enjoy this chance to visit the Italy of 1480 in the company of real-life historical figure Guid’Antonio Vespucci, a Florence lawyer.
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