#HistFicThursdays - The Inspiration of Place - Angela Sims - Guest Post

Today for the #HistFicThursdays blog, it is my absolute pleasure to welcome Angela Sims. Her book, The Rose of Florence, is being published next year, and here Angela shares the inspiration the city has given her. Read on to discover the world of the Renaissance in what was arguably its birthplace...

The priest raised the host, and the communion bell rang through the cathedral…

Anyone who has visited Florence, the capital city of the Tuscan region of Italy, will know that it is teeming…teeming with tourists and teeming with history. Some years ago, I was one of those tourists (I now consider myself a regular visitor!), and even while jostling with crowds, you can’t fail to be moved by the city, the architecture, the art and the stories that surround you. 

One of the stories that captured my imagination was of the murder in the cathedral, The Pazzi Conspiracy. At the time of this event (1478), Florence was a republic, with the Medici family holding the majority of power. While power had bounced between a number of rulers in its history, Lorenzo (the Magnificent) was the third generation of the Medici to rule Florence, and as is always the case, others looked on with envious eyes. In a bid to take control of the Signoria (or government) of Florence, a faction led by the opposing Pazzi family, plotted to get rid of the Medici family once and for all. On a spring morning in April, Lorenzo and his younger brother, Giuliano, attended Mass in the Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence’s great cathedral. At the most solemn part of the Mass, as the priest raised the host and the communion bell rang, the assassins attacked. Lorenzo was injured but escaped with his life. Giuliano was not so lucky and died on the floor of the cathedral, having been stabbed nineteen times.

Lorenzo was distraught and ruthless. The conspirators were rounded up and hanged. We have evidence of this from many sources, but one of the most notable is a small drawing of one of the hanged men, made by a young man who witnessed the spectacle…a young man from the small village of Vinci…a young man by the name of Leonardo.

1478 was a time of renewed humanist endeavours, when the creativity of the Renaissance was at its height. In fact, Lorenzo was patron of many of the great artists, including Botticelli and Michelangelo, but still there was subterfuge, plotting, violence and treachery. Perfect ingredients for a story. Research for The Rose of Florence was never a chore. In fact, the research came first, before the idea for the story. A veritable Who’s Who of the Italian Renaissance lived in Florence at that time: Botticelli, his neighbours the Vespucci family (Amerigo Vespucci sailed to and eventually gave his name to America), Niccolò Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, to name but a few.

Even among such prestigious company, the greatest character, in my view, is Florence herself. She remains strong and dignified across the centuries. The stories in the history books come to life as you walk. You can stand in the Duomo, the magnificent cathedral where the murder took place. You can visit the Bargello, where the conspirators were publicly hanged. You can sit under the loggia in Piazza Della Signoria, where the council would sit in the shade during public meetings. Even a walk along the narrow side streets near the River Arno can transport you back to that cloak-and-dagger time, although today, you are more likely to be accosted by a hawker selling a selfie-stick!

To see what life was really like in the 15th century, a visit to Palazzo Davanzati is a must. Situated on Via Porta Rossa (which was Via Porta Rossa even at that time), it has been preserved as a typical Florentine palazzo. I stood in the centre of the courtyard and looked up at the balconies of the upper floors and wondered “What if one of the stones became loose…?” More intrigue! As I moved through the rooms, higher and higher, I was surprised to find the kitchen on the top floor. Having been brought up on programmes like Upstairs, Downstairs, it’s not what I expected, but thinking about it, positioning the kitchen on the top floor makes perfect sense. Should a fire break out, it won’t spread to the rest of the house. All the cooking smells won’t taint the family sitting rooms or bedrooms but simply float away on the hot Florentine air.

One of my favourite fictional characters is Eleonora, the cook. A loyal, dependable woman who is always on hand to dispense comfort, advice and a verbal clip around the ear when it’s needed. She is an exceptionally skilled cook, and I even tried out one of her recipes, a traditional dessert called zuccotto. Rich and indulgent, you can imagine it being the centrepiece of a palazzo banquet. Eleonora also had other skills, learned from her apothecary father. She uses herbs and flowers as tonics, but also knows what can kill. It’s her suspicions that first alert us to the idea that there may be a traitor in the household. 

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the Rosini family and their household. I got to know each of them, as if they were my own family. A frequent virtual visit to Renaissance Florence through my research, reading and writing got me through the worst of the global pandemic! Now their story has been told, and I’m left wondering what will happen to them next…