Florenzer by Phil Melanson

Leonardo da Vinci, 12 years old and a bastard, leaves the Tuscan countryside to join his father in Florence with dreams of becoming a painter. Francesco Salviati, also a bastard and scorned for his too-dark skin, dedicates himself to the Catholic Church with grand hopes of salvation. Towering above them both is Lorenzo de' Medici, barely a man, yet soon to be the patriarch of the world's wealthiest and most influential bank. Each is, in his own way, a son of Florence. Each will, when their paths cross, shed blood on Florence's streets. Brash and breathtaking, this lush historical drama explores the dangerous pursuit of artistic and political achievement - especially at a time when 'florenzers', or gay men such as Leonardo, were often persecuted.