Dante's Black Florin

The novel also recounts the story of Riccardo, a Florentine infantry man who fought alongside the young poet Dante Alighieri during the castle’s terrible siege. The story of young Riccardo in the 13th century intersects with that of Umberto in the present day, and for both, the events unfolding within that castle will change their lives forever. Umberto, like Riccardo centuries earlier, will discover love there. Two protagonists from different eras, whose stories run parallel, challenge the unknown by discovering new and unexpected passions. An adventurous tale of men, arms, and love that weaves together the Middle Ages and the present day. Umberto is a Milanese doctor nearing retirement. Out of sheer curiosity, he investigates the origin of his surname and discovers a distant noble Tuscan lineage. One of his Ghibelline ancestors had taken refuge in a Sienese castle in 1285, and the Bishop of Arezzo, Guglielmo degli Ubertini, incited a rebellion against the city of Siena that ended, months later, in a bloodbath. The protagonist, captivated by the place's beauty, decides to buy a house near the castle, which has been abandoned and inaccessible for years; he leaves Milan to move there and spend his retirement. During the renovation work, he accidentally finds an ancient Florentine coin, a copper florin, also known as a black florin, and Cesira, a clairvoyant, senses that the coin belonged to a particularly important figure, Dante Alighieri, and was lost under turbulent and dramatic circumstances. The novel tells the story of Riccardo, a Florentine foot soldier who fought alongside the young poet Dante Alighieri during the terrible siege of the castle. The story of the young Riccardo in the 13th century intersects with that of Umberto in the present day, and for both, the events that unfold in that castle will change their lives forever. Umberto, like Riccardo centuries before, will discover love in that very place. Two protagonists from different eras, whose stories run parallel, challenge the unknown while discovering new and unexpected passions. An adventurous tale of men, arms, and love that weaves together the Middle Ages and the present day.