Stefano Vignaroli - In The Lion's Sign

Certainly the bricks that delimit this arch are older than the rest, have a more irregular appearance, are darker. Perhaps they are from Roman times...

Andrea rubbed his hands satisfied, breathed on them to warm them a bit and looked around for the right tools, leaving the pickaxe. He tried to clean the hypothetical opening, as much as possible with his bare hands, helping himself with a small folding hoe shovel to remove the debris, then finishing the work with a brush to remove dust and soil. Little by little, came to light a wooden door, quite well preserved, closed with a latch. It would not have been difficult to open it or break it down but, not knowing what he would find beyond and it was by now dusk, he decided for that day he could be satisfied and he could suspend the work to resume the next day.

Better go home and recheck the radar readings. I would not want to have any surprises. And then better to get help from someone. One can never be too careful in these cases. Never open that door to cause collapses. At which point all the work of months and months would be blessed.

He gathered his tools, put his work bag over his shoulder, came out of the excavations and headed down to Costa Baldassini to reach his home. The cozy warmth of his home and the smell of smoke from the cigarettes consumed by his companion put him in a good mood. He threw the bag on the ground near the entrance, tried as much as possible to free his shoes from the mud and ran up the stairs. He found Lucia asleep, with one arm and the head resting on the living room table, the notebook lit in front of her and the cigarette butt still smoking in the ashtray. He caressed her hair gently, evoking her awakening.

«My God, Andrea! I collapsed. I must have been really tired. I worked all day trying to interpret a new document, which I found here among the paperwork in your library and which refers to the period when your ancestor Andrea Franciolini went to fight in the Netherlands in support of the King of France against Emperor Charles V of Habsburg. Aside from the politically entangled period, for which the pope was now a partisan for France, now a partisan for the empire, the chronology of dates in this document seems strange. And then there is this representation, which seems much older than the times we are discussing. It is a lion who is lying, lying down, engraved on stone, it seems to me. I don’t understand what it means: it is neither the rampant lion symbol of Jesi, nor the lion of San Marco, symbol of the Venetian Republic. It looks more like an icon, a high-relief on stone, coming from some dwelling or from some construction of Roman times, almost similar to those decorative tiles that adorn the outline of the portal of this palace.»

«As you know by now, those tiles were decorations of an ancient Roman temple that stood in this place in antiquity, and that were found during the excavations of the foundations.»

«Exactly. And so my idea is that whoever designed this illustration was inspired by a decoration of the ancient Roman amphitheatre, which stood more or less between Piazza Colocci and Via Roccabella. After all the lions were used by the Romans, inside the arenas, in the fights with the gladiators.»

«And they often made a mess of it. What horrible shows! And yet at the time they were appreciated by the population. In any case, since we are on the subject, I must tell you that just a little while ago perhaps I identified a passage that could lead to the remains of this ancient amphitheatre. I managed to isolate a wooden door, at a lower level than the rest of the excavations, which in my opinion should have given access to the cellars of the ancient Palazzo del Governo. And if the accounts are correct, those cellars should correspond with ancient environments referable to some areas of the amphitheatre.»

«Have you tried to open the door?»

«No, I need the proper tools and someone to assist me. I don’t want to cause a collapse.»

«And who do you want to find as assistants? We are close to the Christmas holidays, all your archaeologist friends have disappeared for a while now and the city administration has already decided to close the excavations soon!»

«I think one person is enough. And I believe that whoever is right for me is now here in front of me.»

«Oh, forget about getting me involved in another one of your whimsical adventures just because you’re leveraging the fact I’m in love with you», Lucia replied, indignant. «I have no desire to be buried alive among the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre. Besides, you know very well that I suffer from claustrophobia.»

«I know», Andrea said. «But I also know that your curiosity as a scholar manages to prevail over all fears. You have demonstrated this in the past. And if you think that down there you could find the original icon representing that laying lion...»

«Hey, you think you can always get me to do whatever you want!»

Lucia stretched out a nervous hand towards the cigarette packet and took one out to light it. She remained with the cigarette in her mouth and the lighter lit in her hand, interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. On the display appeared a cell phone number, not saved in the phonebook and preceded by the international prefix +49.

Lucia and Andrea exchanged a questioning glance, then he beckoned her to answer. Lucia activated the speakerphone, so that Andrea could also listen to the conversation. On the other end of the phone, a male voice began to speak in almost perfect Italian, although with a marked accent on the letter er.

«I speak with Countess Lucia Baldeschi-Balleani?»

«To serve you! To what do I owe the honour...?»

«Let me present myself! I am His Imperial and Royal Highness, the Archduke Sigismondo of Habsburg Lorena, titular Grand Duke of Tuscany and Grand Master of the Sacred Military Order of Santo Stefano Pope and Martyr.»

«Damn!», Andrea escape in a whisper, not to let his voice to the microphone of the telephone. «Maybe he decided to continue to finance our archaeological research!»

Lucia put her index finger in front of her nose, to tell her companion to be quiet.

«It’s a pleasure for me learning of your interest in my person. To what do I owe, if I may ask, this honour?»

«I see that you have received an excellent education, and for that I must congratulate you and your family. But let’s come to the argument. You see, according to the article 5 of the present Statutes of the Order of St. Stephen, and in accordance with the ancient Statutes of the Order itself, every year I choose three noblemen to be raised to the rank of Bailiff Grand Cross of Justice, in consideration of high merits acquired in life, work and study. Never before this honour has been reserved to a woman. But, seen the results of your research on the origins and history of your noble family, I felt for this year to make a break from the rule. And I decided that you are the one chosen by me to be named Knight of the Grand Cross of Bailiff. Therefore, I officially invite you to the investiture ceremony, which will be held in Florence on the day of Holy Christmas.»

«But, Christmas will be just in a fortnight! I have commitments, both work and personal. You know, my fiancé, my family», Lucia tried to take time, a bit confused.

«Don’t worry. Come to Florence with your fiancé or other members of your family. Clearly, the trip for you is entirely at my expense. I am already e-mailing you the reservation for the train Frecciarossa Ancona - Florence, round trip, first class. I look forward to it!», and hung up, without even giving her time to answer.

Andrea and Lucia looked at each other with astonished air, then they burst into laughter.

«Knight of Gran Croce del Balì! My respects, Lady!», Andrea declaimed with mocking air, bowing in a bow. «I think I have enough reasons to begin to be jealous. At my expenses, I will accompany you to Florence, there isn’t to be trusted.»