The Journey

Two weeks before the ball, Pen and Achille's costumes had arrived. The rental company had appropriate Renaissance costumes in stock, but they still had to be adjusted to Pen and Achille's size. For the role of Lorenzo di Medici, Corso had chosen the red robe as the artist Girolamo Macchietti had painted the Renaissance prince. For the hair, Achille had to choose a wig because he did not want to let his hair grow so long. Pen convinced him that the Renaissance Prince could not wear a French moustache. With a brief whir of the razor, the moustache fell.
Pen had chosen the light, bright robe from a painting depicting Simonetta Vespucci, Sandro Botticelli's muse.
In her mind, Pen imagined how her personal rival, Valeria di Colonna would appear at the ball.
A few days before the coronation ball, A. P. Dyle, the chronicler, arrived at Achille Corso and Pen Orsini's house.
With astonishment, Corso noticed that Dyle had grown a pencil moustache, likewise his bearded sideburns were much longer than usual. When asked, Dyle explained:
"I shall go as Phileas Fogg, Esquire and Gentleman... and therefore take my cue from David Niven, who is, as it were, the icon of the gentleman..."
Corso was already secretly afraid that all the gentlemen might appear at the coronation ball in beard fashion.
Some time afterwards, Corso asked Pen what she knew about the host. The Marchese de Spinola d'Este, was the main organiser, but the Marchese de Farnese was apparently also involved.
"Nicolo, the current Marchese de Farnese is, if I remember correctly, from a side line of the Dukes of Parma. Convinced monarchist and very cultured."
"Probably wears a moustache..." grumbled Corso.
"Last time I saw him he was wearing an abnormal moustache in the style of King Umberto I..." said Pen and when she realised Achille was about to say something, she added:
"I like you much better clean-shaven - and Lorenzo just didn't wear a beard..." Pen consoled him. In the meantime, the exact programme had been fixed and the courtly dances customary in aristocratic circles had also been announced: Not only Viennese waltzes, but also a quadrille and a pavane were on the programme.
Pen, who was well versed in both dancing and courtly occasions, decided to give her fiancé, as well as his chronicler Dyle, appropriate instruction.
"During the course of the evening, in addition to standard dances such as waltzes, we will also dance a quadrille de Lanciers," Pen lectured.
"This dance is still taught and danced in Danish high schools and at the Vienna Opera Ball. It is a contra dance originating in France during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Today, however, only the variant Quadrille de Lanciers, created after 1850, is still common."
The dance lesson proved more difficult than Pen had imagined. For one thing, neither her fiancé nor Dyle were born dancing talents - to put it euphemistically - and the courtly contra dances simply looked ridiculous if you didn't dance them in garments from days gone by. The statement that you could dance in any clothes - if you could dance, that is - might be true for today's dances. But a "La Pavane des Saisons" only looked really good in baroque dresses and allonge wigs for the gentleman, and like a stiff hop around when modern clothes were worn...
On the morning of May 5th, Corso and Pen took off in their new Topolino roadster. Fortunately, the Renaissance costumes were not overly bulky and could be transported in suitcases that Achille had strapped to the back of the car.
"I bet Valeria de Colonna needs a truck for her rococo costume and wig..." sneered Pen as Achille mounted the suitcases.
"How do you know she's going to wear a rococo costume?" wanted Dyle to know.
"Her favourite period..." said Pen with the tone of a fortune teller.
"You never told me in more detail how she became your favourite rival..." said Corso.
"Valeria de Colonna also showed up once in the study of forensics and pathology, but wasn't talented enough for that. She stirred up lots of rivalries for that before moving on to law..." said Pen.
"I see, now she's a lawyer?" asked Corso.
"Exactly. People I take to court, she then gets out..." confirmed Pen.
To avoid the many road works and toll roads of Florence, Pen, followed by Dyle drove over the Ponte Santa Trinita and past the Palazzo Pitti and the Giardino di Boboli and entered Monteripaldi via country roads and only from there did they turn onto the A1 motorway.
After about 50 minutes, the two cars left the A1 at Ciliegi and curved along the regional road into the town of Leccio.
"There are advantages to knowing the back roads across the country..." said Pen.
"Presumably they know the other participants too..." said Corso.
"What makes you think that?" asked Pen.
"You must have noticed the various luxury limousines on the A1 that roared past us..." replied Corso.
"Oh yes, a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, probably built around 1960, and behind it a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, also a DeLorean DMC-12..." said Pen, car-savvy as ever.
"Did you know that the Silver Wraith, built after the Second World War as the successor to the Wraith was the last series of the manufacturer, where Rolls Royce only supplied the engine and chassis, but the bodywork was built by various independent companies mostly to customer specifications...?"
Corso replied in the negative.
They passed a pretty house with a somewhat faded inscription.
"That must be the Due Passi dal Castello," said Corso.
"Then we must turn right immediately afterwards." replied Pen.
The road now became narrow, with no pedestrian area, and led into a wooded area.
"The area doesn't seem to be very populated." noted Corso. Then the tarred road ended and a roadblock was visible. Here was a small church and the grave of Fernando Panciatichi Ximenes d'Aragona.
"Here is the grave of the nobleman who realised his personal dream with the Castello di Sammezzano," Pen said.
"And a personal check..." replied Corso.
A private security service controlled the access to the event at the castle. A barrier and various cars blocked the access road to the forest.
"The monarchist scene prefers discretion and occasions without royal enemies," Pen said, showing the invitation.
The security guard skimmed the invitation, thanked her and signalled to open the barrier. Dyle was then also checked and let through.
Shortly after, the road they were driving on was more of a forest track, which eventually led past a ruined building.
"What is this abomination?" asked Corso.
"The ruins of a failed hotel project, abandoned while the shell was still in place," said Pen.
Only a moment later, the castle appeared with its reddish-brown façade and lawn.
"Here we are." declared Pen.
The lawn today reminded one of a meeting place of car posers - with the difference that the automobiles were really exclusive and fantastic. Various Rolls Royces, an old Bristol 400, the DeLorean that had passed them on the car road and a Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina....
When Pen recognised the Ferrari, she knew that Valeria de Colonna had already arrived.
"It's a wonder she found the castle and didn't spend half the afternoon wandering around the neighbourhood..." she quipped.
Also on site were some security guards, recognisable by their sunglasses and jackets that presumably concealed firearms, and a catering service with countless small trucks.
Meanwhile, Dyle's BMW Isetta had also arrived, while Pen parked the Topolino next to an unusual car.
"Look there..." she said in a joyful voice, "They must be guests from Spain - a Hurtan Albaycin and a Hurtan T2+2. You practically never see anything this nice..."
"How unfortunate that the European Union is going to ban the petrol engine..." said Dyle as he joined the two.
"You're not serious?" said Pen with horror on her face.
"Unfortunately, yes, it has been decided. But the implementation will fail anyway because of the lack of electricity for electric cars..." Dyle tried to console.
"We are a dying species..." opined Pen.
"The nobility or the petrol car fans?" asked Corso.
"Both." replied Pen.
"For the next few days at least, we'll be well catered for." said Corso, referring to the catering and guest services that greeted arriving guests on the snail-shaped walkway.
The company had come with its own fleet of cars, consisting of Fiat vans and some passenger vans, all painted white and bearing the company logo. The reception consisted of dressed personnel wearing livery, a Bauta mask and a powdered wig. They took the suitcases from Dyle, Orsini and Corso and informed them that the cars would be permanently guarded by the staff.
They climbed the steps of the entrance scroll and found themselves at the entrance to the Belle Etage in the Atrio delle colonne. The room bore its name with good reason. Several double columns with a Corinthian chapter adorned the room and supported an arch decorated in bright rainbow colours. This is where rooms were assigned based on the invitations.
"Buffets are taken in the Sala d'ingresso, which adjoins just behind the Atrio delle colonne," explained the receptionist in elegant business look.
"You must be Dr Dyle..." she addressed the aforementioned gentleman. Dyle affirmed.
"Your lecture will be the first and will take place at Ottagono Dorato in three hours. She then handed out a programme of the occasion including a map of the main floor to those present.
Pen noted with delight that responding to the invitation early had proved extremely beneficial in allocating rooms. Pen and Achille had been allocated the Sala dei Pavone as their room for the night.
"The room is legendary..." marvelled Pen.
"I hope they like its vibrant...