“The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence” by Alyssa Palombo – Passion Immortalized
We follow the story of a certain Simonetta Cattaneo, about to marry a young, handsome and well-educated man which in turn plunges her into the circle of people surrounding the Medici family, all wealthy and important. She catches the eye of many people, but none see the beauty in her like a young painter, Sandro Botticelli.
Alyssa Palombo's Re-Imagined Romance
I think it's safe to say, over the course of human history, we never really had a solid idea of how to treat the concept of love, one of the few unquantifiable phenomena we know exists with steel-like certainty.
Societies have tried to impose various rules, morals and traditions around it, changing them time and time again to fit the climate of the epoch. The saying dictating chivalry being dead, while greatly exaggerated, points to the idea of romance having lost importance over the years... and while I can't exactly vouch for how it was a few centuries ago, there has been a general trend of substituting practicality in favour of emotional satisfaction.
Some dream of going back to a simpler time when romance took a central stage in peoples' existences, as does Alyssa Palombo in her novel titled The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence.
In this work of historical fiction we are taken back to 15 th century Italy and presented with a woman by the name of Simonetta Cattaneo. While mostly unimpressed with offers of marriage pouring in, she jumps at the opportunity to espouse a young Marco Vespucci, handsome and educated.
As the moment of marriage approaches, Simonetta begins swimming around in Marco's circle, which includes the Medici family and the countless politicians, artists, philosophers and poets they've surrounded themselves with.
Her beauty enthralls the numerous men she crosses paths with, but one fateful encounter with a young painter will change her life forever... his name, Sandro Botticelli.
Over the years the two develop a passionate intimacy despite Simonetta's marriage to Marco, and ultimately their relation leads to the creation of the masterpiece which would define the young painter for centuries to come, The Birth of Venus.
A Botticelli Romance
Botticelli is one of those painters whose fame has exceeded the scope of his work; many are those who know his name, but remain incapable of naming paintings of his.
His biography bears many fascinating elements, and I was rather happy to see the whole story was as much about his life as it was about his famous inspiration, Simonetta Vespucci.
There are enough accurate historical elements woven in throughout the tale so it never feels as if you're simply reading some sort of spin-off tale.
The way the story is presented gives it an air of credibility, in the sense of us being able to imagine things having actually unfolded this way.
Thankfully the details are never so profound as to make us feel as if we're reading some sort of historical textbook; the romance fiction remains at the forefront for most of the novel.
The love story happening between him and Simonetta is, for the most part, believably written with plenty of moments to put a smile on your face. While it is true some passages felt a bit cheesy or predictable, I feel it's a drawback romance novels can seldom avoid... a natural effect of the genre, if you will.
The fact it's based on something real does give it a certain boost in terms of importance, and while we'll probably never really know how things went down between the two, there is no denying their meeting had a tangible impact on the art world.
Both of them are slowly developed as the plot unfolds, and I have to say Palombo is quite apt at transforming characters in subtle and logical ways as their experiences shape them.
Italy from the Days of Yore
Even today Italy retains many relics from centuries upon centuries ago, representing a veritable treasure trove of old artifacts for all tastes and curiosities. Palombo doesn't skip over the chance of regaling us with breathtaking scenery and an exploration of daily life back in those days.
While the descriptions are rarely long (which, on the plus side, implies they never overstay their welcome) and some are fairly basic, they still get the job done and drag us into the past along for the ride.
Once you settle into the novel's world, there are nary any moments which take you out of the experience, with the settings, people and dialogues all feeling consistent with the time period.
Speaking of life in olden times, one of the more interesting aspects of the book is witnessing how Simonetta navigates through the waters of aristocracy, what her interactions with the cream of the crop entail.
The various rules, values and understandings she must keep up with do add a healthy amount of intrigue to a rather simple story, giving us a better understanding of the implications of her actions, especially her ties with Botticelli.
The Final Verdict
With all being said and done, The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence by Alyssa Palombo is a touching historical romance novel with a strong premise based on real and extremely important events in the art world.
Despite being relatively simple, the novel manages to capture our attention and imagination with a fascinating setting, engrossing characters and a complicated romance which had significance in the real world.
If you are a fan of historical romance novels and/or Botticelli, I recommend you give this novel a shot.
 | Alyssa PalomboPersonal site Alyssa Palombo is a writer from Buffalo, NY with a major in English and creative writing from Canisius College, as well as a minor in music. So far she has authored two historical fiction novels, The Violinist of Venice and The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence , both of which helped to establish her as an emerging author to watch out for. |
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