In The Lion's Sign
Year 2019: once again, the scholar Lucia Balleani and the archaeologist Andrea Franciolini will take us by the hand and guide us through the arcane mysteries of the Renaissance Jesi, among streets, alleys and palaces of a historical centre that, at the gates of the 1920s, begins to regurgitate from the underground ancient and important objects from past eras. The archaeological excavations of Piazza Colocci will in fact reserve unexpected surprises in the eyes of the entire population of Jesi. We begin to follow the events of the characters of the sixteenth century through the discovery of ancient documents and archaeological finds by the young couple of researchers of our time. New winds of war will in fact lead the Captain of Arms of the Royal City of Jesi to the battlefields.
After the first two episodes of the series ”The Printer”, here we are at the end, the last episode of the saga dedicated to the Renaissance Jesi. We left Andrea almost at the point of death, helped by his beloved, hidden in disguise. The plot has moved to Urbino, but certainly our two heroes, Andrea Franciolini and Lucia Baldeschi, will have to return to Jesi to fulfill their dream of love. The wedding will have to be a festive and opulent event, and will have to be celebrated by the Bishop of the City of Jesi, Monsignor Piersimone Ghislieri. But are we sure that obscure plots, of destiny and of men, will not be able to hinder for the umpteenth time the union between Andrea and Lucia? The two lovers have found each other again, and for nothing in the world would they want to leave each other again. Andrea finally wants to be a father to his little girl, Laura and, why not, to Lucia's adopted daughter, Anna. The girls are fantastic, they are growing up healthy and lively in the country residence of the Counts Baldeschi, and Andrea is enjoying their closeness. But winds of war will once again lead the Captain of Arms of the Royal City of Jesi to the battlefields. And soon to leave the peace and quiet regained. The Lansquenets press the gates of northern Italy and the Duke of Oak, in a strange alliance with Giovanni De' Medici, better known as Giovanni Dalle Bande Nere, will do his best to prevent German soldiers from reaching Florence and even Rome. Avoiding the sacking of the Eternal City in 1527 will not be an easy task, neither for the Duke Della Rovere, nor for Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, nor for Captain Franciolino de' Franciolini. Let us once again follow the events of the characters of the sixteenth century through the discoveries of ancient documents and archaeological finds of the young couple of researchers of our time. Once again, the scholar Lucia Balleani and the archaeologist Andrea Franciolini will take us by the hand and guide us through the arcane mysteries of the Renaissance Jesi, among streets, alleys and palaces of an old town centre that, at the gates of the 1920s, begins to regurgitate from the underground ancient and important objects from past eras.
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Stefano Vignaroli
IN THE LION’S SIGN
The Printer – Third Episode
ISBN
©2019 – 2020 Stefano Vignaroli
©2021 Tektime
All rights of reproduction, distribution and translation are reserved.
The pieces about Jesi’s story have been taken and freely adapted from Giuseppe Luconi’s texts
Illustrations by Prof. Mario Pasquinelli, kindly granted by his legitimate heirs
Website http://www.stedevigna.com
E-mail for contacts [email protected]
Stefano Vignaroli
IN THE LION’S SIGN
The Printer – Third Episode
NOVEL
PREFACE
In The Lion’s sign concludes the trilogy of Renaissance settings, entitled The Printer, preceded by “The Shadow of the Bell Tower” and “The Bronze Crown”. Protagonists, once again, are the indomitable leaders, the Marquis Andrea Franciolini, and the Countess Lucia Baldeschi, condemned by fate to constantly postpone the wedding, the seal of a great love. And with them, their descendants, the homonymous of nowadays Andrea and Lucia. The unexpected call to arms, which came from the Duke of Urbino on the day of the wedding, forces Andrea to go, through a perilous journey, first to northern Italy and then to the Netherlands, and Lucia takes again the charge of the regency of the city of Jesi and its county. So the narration splits: on one side there is the errant knight and his adventures, studded and enriched by the encounter with historical characters, as in the case of the cunning and ruthless Giovanni Dalle Bande Nere and the rival first and friend then, Duke Franz Vollenweider, mercenary, half trickster and half Lansquenet. On the other hand, Lucia, a caring mother, a lover with intense passions and a pink governess in an era dominated by men, who in the only Bernardino, the printer, finds a shoulder, a confidant and an ally. In the background, the clash between the Emperor Charles V and the Pope with his allies, from the King of France to the various lords of Italian cities, who made and broke alliances with Machiavellianism. Battles, intrigues, love, moonlight Sabbath and, above all, two great mysteries, emerged from the bowels of the earth, from the excavations in the square overlooking the Palazzo della Signoria (the Government Palace) in Jesi, tie and mark the events of the two Lucia and the Andrea of yesterday and today. An ancient codex, wanted and coveted even by Hitler, and an icon, depicting the transverse lion, symbol of the city, disturb dreams, generate anguish and lust for knowledge and lead to action. A fluid prose returns not only the colours, but also the sounds and atmospheres of places and situations and chains the reader to the page, from the first to the last chapter, in a crescendo of interest for the fate of the protagonists. Vignaroli signs a great historical fresco, in a mixture of fantasy and erudition, which worthily seals the last act of a great trilogy.
Marco Torcoletti
PREMISE
After the first two episodes of the series “The Printer”, here we are at the end, the last episode of the saga dedicated to the Renaissance in Jesi. We left Andrea almost at the point of death, helped by his beloved, hidden in disguise. The plot has then moved to Urbino, but certainly our two heroes, Andrea Franciolini and Lucia Baldeschi, will have to return to Jesi to realize their dream of love. The wedding will have to be a festive and opulent event, and will have to be celebrated by the Bishop of the City of Jesi, Monsignor Piersimone Ghislieri. But are we sure that obscure plots, of destiny and of men, will not be able to hinder for the umpteenth time the union between Andrea and Lucia? The two lovers have found each other again, and not for anything they would want to leave each other again. Andrea finally wants to be a father to his little girl, Laura and, why not, to Lucia’s adopted daughter, Anna.
The girls are fantastic, they are growing up healthy and lively in the country residence of the Counts Baldeschi, and Andrea is enjoying their closeness. But winds of war will once again lead the Captain of Arms of the Royal City of Jesi to the battlefields. And soon to leave the peace and quiet regained. The Lansquenets press the gates of northern Italy and the Duke Della Rovere, in a strange alliance with Giovanni De’ Medici, better known as Giovanni Dalle Bande Nere>1 , will do his best to prevent German soldiers from reaching Florence and even Rome. Avoiding the sacking of the Eternal City in 1527 will not be an easy task, neither for the Duke Della Rovere, nor for Giovanni Dalle Bande Nere, nor for Captain Franciolino de’ Franciolini.
Let us once again follow the events of the characters of the sixteenth century through the discoveries of ancient documents and archaeological finds of the young couple of researchers of our time. Once again, the scholar Lucia Balleani and the archaeologist Andrea Franciolini will take us and guide through the arcane mysteries of Jesi during the Renaissance, among streets, alleys and palaces of an old town centre that, at the gates of the year 2020, begins to burst from the underground ancient and important objects from past eras.
