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About The Legacy . . . .
The Story:
The Legacy takes place in fourteenth century Florence
and Tuscany, beginning in the autumn of 1328.
Francesco Guidi, count of Romena, is fighting with his
uncle, Tommaso da Porciano, for control of the Romena
patrimony; a holding of rich lands, castles and roads
leading to Florence, then a small town of wool
merchants and bankers rising to prominence in
international trade and politics. Francesco's constant
battle for control of what is rightfully his is compounded
by insecurity, inner demons, an unhappy past and a girl
named Serafina, whose own past is linked to his by a
series of events he has never been aware of until he
arrives in Florence and begins the struggle of his life . . .
The Beginnings:
The Legacy began as a screenplay in 1991, but even
before that, I had an idea bouncing around in my head
that came to me after reading a history of Florence
while in college.
I discovered the story of a knight named Buondelmonte
de' Buondelmonti, who, in the year 1215 at a banquet
for a Florentine gentleman who had been knighted,
insulted a guest. One would think an insult would be
forgiven; however, the guests at this banquet were the
members of rival families in the highest tier of medieval
Florentine nobility and the injured party demanded
satisfaction. In order to the keep the peace, young and
handsome Buondelmonte promised to marry a daughter
of the Amidei family, the family insulted. Not to be
outdone, however, was the widow Gualdrada Donati
who wanted her daughter to marry Buondelmonte.
Legend has it that when Buondelmonte was walking by
Gualdrada's house the widow called our comely knight
in for a chat. She berated Buondelmonte for giving in to
his rival's demands and said that she a better wife for
him. Opening a chamber door, she showed him her
lovely daughter, reputed to be the most beautiful
woman in Florence and Buondelmonte immediately
agreed. When he should have married the Amidei
daughter, he was in another church, marrying the
Donati girl. This was too much for the Amidei family,
and they plotted to murder Buondelmonte. On Easter
Sunday when he was riding with his bride across the
Ponte Vecchio, he was pulled from his horse and
brutally attacked. His murder, it is said, started what we
know today as the Guelf-Ghibelline conflict in Florence.
From this story of Buondelmonte I borrowed a few
elements and formed a story and plot line a bit different,
including the ending!
Because I didn't want to retell the Buondelmonte story, I
searched for Florentine nobility and found the Romena
family, made famous by Dante. Alessandro da Romena
was executed for counterfeiting the fior d'oro, the
golden coin and money standard of Florence and later
Europe. He was descended from the counts Guidi, a
large and influential family that ruled Tuscany for almost
five hundred years, until Francesco da Romena was
forced to sell his lands and castles to the commune of
Florence in the fifteenth century as a result of bad
investments.
So from these beginnings I wrote what was to become
"The Legacy, a story that started as a screenplay.
About That Screenplay . . .
So what would you do if you were asked, over gin and
tonics (lots of them) if you could write a screenplay?
You'd go home and write one - in a week.
Without even thinking, I wrote the first draft of the story
and adapted it for a screenplay - then submitted it to a
national writing competition by a reputable magazine.
Who would have thought that it could win second place
out of a field of over 500 entries???
The screenplay was called "Warriors for the Working
Day" and it did indeed win second place in the
screenplay category in the 1991 Writer's Digest Writing
Competition.
Eventually, I revisited the screenplay, took the elements
I liked from it and the story became what is now "The
Legacy."
I have a feeling it will be my legacy.
The Story:
The Legacy takes place in fourteenth century Florence
and Tuscany, beginning in the autumn of 1328.
Francesco Guidi, count of Romena, is fighting with his
uncle, Tommaso da Porciano, for control of the Romena
patrimony; a holding of rich lands, castles and roads
leading to Florence, then a small town of wool
merchants and bankers rising to prominence in
international trade and politics. Francesco's constant
battle for control of what is rightfully his is compounded
by insecurity, inner demons, an unhappy past and a girl
named Serafina, whose own past is linked to his by a
series of events he has never been aware of until he
arrives in Florence and begins the struggle of his life . . .
The Beginnings:
The Legacy began as a screenplay in 1991, but even
before that, I had an idea bouncing around in my head
that came to me after reading a history of Florence
while in college.
I discovered the story of a knight named Buondelmonte
de' Buondelmonti, who, in the year 1215 at a banquet
for a Florentine gentleman who had been knighted,
insulted a guest. One would think an insult would be
forgiven; however, the guests at this banquet were the
members of rival families in the highest tier of medieval
Florentine nobility and the injured party demanded
satisfaction. In order to the keep the peace, young and
handsome Buondelmonte promised to marry a daughter
of the Amidei family, the family insulted. Not to be
outdone, however, was the widow Gualdrada Donati
who wanted her daughter to marry Buondelmonte.
Legend has it that when Buondelmonte was walking by
Gualdrada's house the widow called our comely knight
in for a chat. She berated Buondelmonte for giving in to
his rival's demands and said that she a better wife for
him. Opening a chamber door, she showed him her
lovely daughter, reputed to be the most beautiful
woman in Florence and Buondelmonte immediately
agreed. When he should have married the Amidei
daughter, he was in another church, marrying the
Donati girl. This was too much for the Amidei family,
and they plotted to murder Buondelmonte. On Easter
Sunday when he was riding with his bride across the
Ponte Vecchio, he was pulled from his horse and
brutally attacked. His murder, it is said, started what we
know today as the Guelf-Ghibelline conflict in Florence.
From this story of Buondelmonte I borrowed a few
elements and formed a story and plot line a bit different,
including the ending!
Because I didn't want to retell the Buondelmonte story, I
searched for Florentine nobility and found the Romena
family, made famous by Dante. Alessandro da Romena
was executed for counterfeiting the fior d'oro, the
golden coin and money standard of Florence and later
Europe. He was descended from the counts Guidi, a
large and influential family that ruled Tuscany for almost
five hundred years, until Francesco da Romena was
forced to sell his lands and castles to the commune of
Florence in the fifteenth century as a result of bad
investments.
So from these beginnings I wrote what was to become
"The Legacy, a story that started as a screenplay.
About That Screenplay . . .
So what would you do if you were asked, over gin and
tonics (lots of them) if you could write a screenplay?
You'd go home and write one - in a week.
Without even thinking, I wrote the first draft of the story
and adapted it for a screenplay - then submitted it to a
national writing competition by a reputable magazine.
Who would have thought that it could win second place
out of a field of over 500 entries???
The screenplay was called "Warriors for the Working
Day" and it did indeed win second place in the
screenplay category in the 1991 Writer's Digest Writing
Competition.
Eventually, I revisited the screenplay, took the elements
I liked from it and the story became what is now "The
Legacy."
I have a feeling it will be my legacy.
Well Met, Friend!
What People are Saying . . .
You can purchase THE
LEGACY at these online
bookstores:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
Blackwell's
Or drop by your favorite
bookstore's information desk and
ask the clerk to stock THE
LEGACY.
LEGACY at these online
bookstores:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
Blackwell's
Or drop by your favorite
bookstore's information desk and
ask the clerk to stock THE
LEGACY.
Contact me!
Read Excerpts from The
Legacy
Legacy