Vardo: A Renaissance Adventure

by Daniel Ardrey

This is a children's book about the Renaissance that's an adventure for the whole family, just as it once was for Jonathan's family. They go to Florence for the summer and rent the Villa Ulivello, near Strada in Chianti. It has a working farm where Jonathan and his little sister, Rachel, play among chickens and olive groves. One day it's Rachel who disappears and Jonathan sets out to find her. It appears she has not only fallen into one of the ancient Etruscan tombs, with which the countryside abounds, but also gone back in time to the Renaissance, specifically the year 1499. How does he know this? Because he finds the tomb and follows her, into the past, where he meets Giuliano Vardo, one of the stratioti, mercenaries, who collect heads and get paid in gold. Giuliano befriends Jonathan and offers to help him. Trying to find Rachel, they go into Florence to the Palazzo Davanzati, a real place you can visit to this day. Many adventures ensue, including a journey to Constantinople and the Sultan's seraglio. Included are real historical maps drawn by Linda Ardrey, the author's wife, and one, in particular, is a room by room reconstruction of the Topkapi Palace, where Jonathan and Giuliano eventually find themselves in their search for Rachel. So this is history, romance and adventure that all comes to pass on a family summer vacation at a Tuscan villa.

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 13, 2016