Like many pregnant women, Letizia was having a restless night. On her mind preyed Alessandro’s complaints that as business was so poor in Bergamo he contemplated leaving his home to secure work. ‘Wife I am convinced I have better prospects of finding work as a weaver in Milan rather than Venice where guilds run by local families strictly control trade.’
She had settled well into her new home on the outskirts of Bergamo, just a short walk from the road to Milan, and had done an admirable job of transforming Alessandro’s cottage into a suitable place to raise a family. She had planted roses and some geraniums in the front garden, along with rosemary, oregano and garlic. In the back garden she had grown a selection of vegetables and fruit, spinach, onions, cabbage, various berries and a peac
