In the Company of the Courtesan

During the Sack of Rome in 1527, the courtesan Fiammetta Bianchini and her companion Bucino Teodoldi are caught in the violence that destroys their household and strips away their wealth. Fiammetta is badly injured, and the pair escape with only what they can carry, travelling north to Venice in the hope of rebuilding the profession and social position on which both depend.

Venice offers anonymity, commerce and new patrons, but Fiammetta’s scars threaten her livelihood and Bucino’s careful schemes cannot remove every danger. As they assemble clothes, servants, clients and allies, their partnership is tested by secrecy, dependence and betrayal. The novel presents Renaissance courtesan culture as a business sustained by performance, intelligence and mutual survival.