Lover's Path

A fictional love story, The Lover's Path is inspired by the true love story of one of Venice's most famous courtesans Tullia d'Aragona. Set in Venice in the 1500s, this feminist epic is narrated by Filamena Ziani, a renowned singer and composer, a woman of independent means, and the younger sister of the most famous courtesan of her times. In recounting the tale of a forbidden love affair of her youth, Filamena brings to life the romance and rich sensuality of a remarkable era in Venetian history. Each chapter of her tale begins with a classic love story, an allegorical device common to 16th-century literature, which the author has illustrated. The book also contains 'actual' letters exchanged between Filamena and her lover, a sampling of tarot cards (Filamena has her cards read in the story), and a map.