Sublime

But Leonardo did not stay in Florence. Instead, he followed the papal procession to Bologna, where the pope had scheduled a secret parley with the new king of France, Francis I, who had just turned twenty-one. Francis had wrested control of Milan from the Sforzas in September 1515, which convinced the pope he had to make peace with him. The parley

Because Florence’s guild of notaries barred those who were non legittimo, Leonardo was able to benefit from the note-taking instincts that were ingrained in his family heritage while being free to pursue his own creative passions.

When Albizu was elected as one of the club’s two vice presidents in 1914, the other vice president was T. V. Soong, later reputed to be the world’s richest man. One of Soong’s sisters was about to marry Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the Chinese revolution. Another would marry Chiang Kai-shek, head of the Republic of China (first on the mainland, then

Osteria Mananan—between the Ciappà bus stop and the main square at Via Fieschi 117—serves what many consider the best food in town in its small, stony, elegant interior (€10 pastas, €10-16 secondi, Wed-Mon 12:30-14:30 & 19:30-22:00, closed Tue, no outdoor seating, tel. 0187-821-166).

Ludovico Sforza, Leonardo’s patron in Milan, had a reputation for ruthlessness that included, among other alleged acts, poisoning his nephew in order to seize the ducal crown. But Ludovico was a choir boy compared to Leonardo’s next patron, Cesare Borgia. Name any odious activity and Borgia was the master of it: murder, treachery, incest, debaucher

The central bankers who control money and credit (i.e., central banks) vary the costs and availability of money and credit to control markets and the economy.

Borgia next set his sights on Florence, which cowered in dread. Its treasury was depleted, and it had no military to defend it. In May 1501, as his forces neared Florence’s walls, the ruling Signoria of the city capitulated by agreeing to pay Borgia 36,000 florins a year as protection money and…

Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to e

Because Florence’s guild of notaries barred those who were non legittimo, Leonardo was able to benefit from the note-taking instincts that were ingrained in his family heritage while being free to pursue his own creative passions. This was fortunate. He would have made a poor notary: he got bored and distracted too easily, especially when a project