of Bellezza, Arianna Rossi (formerly Arianna Gasparini), and her father, Rodolfo, the advantages of joining their alliance by marrying Gaetano di Chimici, the homely but charming third son of the head of the family, Duke Niccolo of Giglia. Gaetano, while willing to submit to his father's ambitions, would rather study and is more concerned about the well-being of his younger brother, Falco, who was crippled in a riding accident. Lucien, the protagonist of the first book, now known as Luciano and living as a full-time resident of Bellezza — as well as other important supporting characters, such as Silvia (the old Duchessa), Rodolfo, and Arianna, appear again. City of Flowers Sky Meadows, a teenager whose mother is recovering from a longtime illness, is shy and reclusive, partly because he feels he needs to protect his mother, and doesn't seem to have the nerve to tell the girl he likes how he feels (mostly because she has a pair of rather familiar tough looking friends, a girl with tiger-striped red hair and the school's fencing champion). Everything changes when Sky finds a blue perfume bottle and falls asleep with it in his hand. He awakes in Giglia (the Talian version of Florence) where the pharmacist-friar and Stravagante Sulien is waiting for him. Sky, given the name Celestino Pascoli, finds himself embroiled in a world of art and intrigue as the di Chimici family prepares for four weddings. Once again Bellezza's young Duchessa becomes involved as she has been invited as a guest by Gaetano di Chimici, one of the grooms and a personal friend of hers, and also to commission a statue of her sculpted by the great Giuditta Miele, another Stravagante. Meanwhile, the di Chimici family and its rival, the Nucci family, have reached a point in their age old blood feud where the flood gates are about to open. Luciano, Arianna, Georgia, Falco di Chimici (now Nicholas Duke, foster-son of the Mulhollands), and other important characters from the previous books appear again, such as Silvia, and Rodolfo. City of Secrets The City of Secrets continues the story of Luciano and Arianna as Luciano goes to study at a university in Padavia (the Talian version of Padua). Another Stravagante from the modern world appears, a dyslexic but extremely intelligent young man named Matt, whose talisman happens to be a book. Transported to the Scriptorium of Padavia University, where Matt works