Lorenzo the Magnificent

text by Michèle Fantoli
illustrations by Marta Manetti

Written for curious school-age children, the book tells the story one of the greatest figures of the Renaissance. The colourful drawings by Marta Manetti take a lively and charming look at the key events in the life of Lorenzo de’ Medici, called ‘The Magnificent’, the lord of Florence but also a man of letters and patron of the arts, from his childhood to his final days. It illustrates the famous tournament immortalized by the poets of the era, his wedding with Clarice Orsini and the Pazzi conspiracy, sometimes ‘borrowing’ from the famous paintings of the masters of 15th-century Florence.
For those who want to learn more, all the episodes also have a short explanation allowing young readers to understand the historical context of these events. The book is completed by family trees showing Lorenzo’s ancestors and followers, as well as a presentation of the palazzi in which this illustrious family lived throughout its history.