The Courtesan, or Look for the Woman in Everything

The story of the courtesan Cloridia, Abbot Cristofano, innkeeper Pellegrino from the Tavern of the Good Plate, and maidservant Giani unfolds in late Renaissance Venice during the plague at the beginning of the 16th century in Italy.

Courtesans were then blamed as the source of the epidemic - God was said to have grown angry with them and punished everyone for their immorality. Remarkably, how quickly politicians, church officials, nobility, and the clients of notorious houses embraced this explanation - along with their wives, mistresses, and scorned women. Today we know it was merely a scapegoat: unlike the courtesans, most of the population at that time was illiterate and incredibly superstitious.

Courtesans had access to libraries, participated in political negotiations and peace treaties. They spoke several languages, wrote poetry, sang, and played musical instruments. In many cases, it was they - the Cherchez la Femme or Femme Fatale - who stood behind political agreements and decisions.

The story deals with a hidden document, a vial of poison, love and betrayal. Can it be said that whoever digs a pit for another falls into it themselves?