Quotes by Riccardo Bruni

But that day it was raining, and since they couldnt very well sit on the rooftop in the rain to watch the flotilla parade, they stayed in the little room that led to the roof. It had just one tiny window through which the gray light of day filtered in. They sat on the floor, and Lorenzos senses were aroused by the sound of the rain falling outside, the musky smell of his own body, and the fragrant scent of Caterinas hair. A single blonde strand wound down her slim neck.They kissed, taking off their rain-washed summer clothes so that their bodies pressed, naked, against one another. Long, delicate lovemaking. Caresses, kisses, shivers, and sighs of delight.Lorenzo would have gladly spend the rest of his life preserved in that single moment, as if in amber, abandoning reality to live in the memory of that one single day.

Moses Luzzatto always said to be patient during the hard times, that they would have to endure and make sacrifices while they waited for better times to come. He urged Simone and the other Jewish boys not to provoke the Venetians, saying they should remain separate and focus on their work. He said their traditions were crucial to their identity, just as they were for their fathers before them.

You live in a damnably twisted and convoluted world, replied Mathias. And you are trampling accross it with all the delicacy of an elephant in a glass shop! -Conversation between Mathias Munster and Giacomo Foscarini

Aboard the gondola, Giacomo Foscarini sat facing Mathias. They were crossing the Canal Grande, then they would navigate around San Marco and return. Foscarini loved to travel around Venice this way. They stopped briefly at a mooring near the bridge to the Rialto, and Foscarini had a servant fetch green olives, fresh Piacenza cheese, a few sausages from Modena, and wine that had just been delivered from Crete. The nobleman often dined aboard his gondola, looking out over the city, watching his world. Seen from this vantage point, Venice doesnt seem like its in any of its terrible troubles at all magister, said Foscarini.

Will there ever come a day when you put yourself first?No, that day will never come.Youre crazy, my old man.It will never come because Ive finally realized that I want you by my side, now and forever. That I can no longer be just myself, standing alone. I need more.Angelicas eyes filled with tears. She looked like she was fighting to hold them back.You really are crazy.-Conversation between Mathias Munster and Angelica Zanon

Are you afraid a demon has escaped Hell in order to descend upon the Venetians?I think there are a few whod deserve it, but Im also a man of science, and I believe that we all carry our own private infernos inside ourselves.-Conversation between Majid and Mathias

Thats what lay behind the feud under way in the Republic: a battle between different noble family factions in a fight for power. Serving this side or the other was of no interest to Mathias. But the consequences of a Venice under the Popes direct control werent at all to his liking. His beloved books would be burned by ignorant, avid priests. Men like Malachia would win.It was the same old struggle. The same fight Gheorg had chosen, the same fight that might take him to Wittenberg. But he wouldnt clear the way for Alexander VI. With what little strength he possessed, even though he was nothing more than a pawn of a chessboard, that extended farther then he could see, Mathias would help those in power smash what had all the makings of a major plot, one designed to overturn the government in power in La Serenissima. And these thoughts allowed the monk to find the first answer to the many question with which he still felt burdened.He and the Borgias did NOT share the same Church.

He thought back to everything that happened the night before: the hooded men, the chase, his tired heart and weak legs. The very moment in which Mathias realized it was over, when hed decided to sacrifice his own life in order to save the young man by his side, the monk had found something fundamental inside himself. Deep in his soul, in that hidden place that can only be discovered when a person finds himself poised on the edge of the abyss, gasping what he thought was his last breath, hed suddenly seen it. Only then did he realize what he held dearest in his heart. Because the last thing to cross his mind, what hed thought about the moment hed spun around, prepared to impale himself on the blade, had been a face. No thoughts of God or faith or any other saint. A face. Thats when everything became clear.

I dont know what youre getting yourself into, said Majid, but I know I dont like it. Some things in Venice are pure poison. Majids eyes looked like they could bore through a stone wall. If someone has put you on a demons tracks, youd better make sure the demon doesnt find you first.Whats that supposed to mean, asked Mathias.It means behind every hand stained with blood theres another, and that one stays clean. Majid leaned in close, lowering his voice to a whisper. What Im saying is that behind a demon, theres always someone holding the creature on a leash.

He was going to hurt the people he hated, but inside he didnt feel any real sense of satisfaction. He hated them all the more for having made him feel so small, so petty and mean, which was all he felt just then. But it wasnt enough to stop him.

You must always conduct your business with a clear mind, free of personal issues. Until you learn this simple fact, youll never get anything out of life. -Moses Luzzatto