Stefano Vignaroli

      IN THE LION’S SIGN

      The Printer – Third Episode

      NOVEL

      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

      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 Nere¹ , 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.

      Stefano Vignaroli

      Bernardino, on the threshold of his print shop, which overlooked Via delle Botteghe, at the arch of the ancient Domus Verronum, watched the wedding procession with great satisfaction. At last, after many obstacles and ups and downs, Countess Lucia Baldeschi, on a radiant day in late summer 1523, would join Andrea De’ Franciolini in marriage. In fact, to be precise, with Marquis Franciolino De’ Franciolini, Lord of the Alto Montefeltro and Captain of Arms of the Royal City of Jesi. The procession itself was preceded by drum rolls and trumpet blasts, the exhibition of flag-wavers, the evolutions of the elegant birds of prey launched by skilled falconers, and the parade of the noble families of the various districts of the city, each identified by its banner and the banner of the district to which they belong. The city was a riot of colours. Every street, every alley and every palace was festively decorated. The crisp air of September, as the day progressed towards the midday hours, had allowed the sun to warm the atmosphere in a very unusual way for the season, so much so that many nobles were sweating inside their brocade or velvet dresses. The luckiest were the noblewomen who had chosen to wear cool coloured silk dresses. Bernardino had recognized the members of the most important families of Jesi, not only by the banners, but because he knew their physiognomies well. The Counts Marcelli, the Marquises Honorati, the Amatori, the Amici and the Colocci. All headed towards Piazza San Floriano to attend the religious service presided over by Monsignor Piersimone Ghislieri, a bishop loved by all citizens. After a passage of jugglers and fire-eaters and another carousel of flag-wavers, finally appeared the bride, beautiful, on a horse with a white coat, with a mane hairstyle in fine braids that fell on one side and the other of the elegant neck of the animal. Lucia was wearing a splendid red damask silk gamurra, enriched by floral motifs drawn in light relief embroidery. With a white lace added to the rectangular neckline and the sleeve edges. The dress, up to her feet long, embellished with set buttons and precious gems, tightened at the waist by a finely woven belt, did not allow the bridesmaid to sit on the horse like an amazon, as she was accustomed. Both legs had to be placed on the same side of the horse, making it even more difficult and tiring to maintain balance on the saddle. But Lucia kept a haughty look, holding herself lightly on the reins, without ever looking any citizen in the eye. She allowed herself to be admired, without ever looking back at anyone. Only when she passed by Bernardino, did her face light up and sketched a smile like a greeting to her dear friend and mentor. The printer noticed it and pleased himself. Looking at the Countess Baldeschi with obsequious admiration, he remembered how red was the favourite colour of the brides of the time. Red was the symbol of creative power and, therefore, of fertility, but above all the fabrics of that colour were the most expensive and appreciated. The wedding procession was considered an integral part of the ceremony. Usually it represented a public display of the bride’s family’s wealth, parading through the streets of the city in her precious wedding