Exile

Girolamo and Giulia sail to Crete, their voyage reimagined from accounts of similar trips in that period. After avoiding attacks from corsairs, they arrive safely in the port of Candia, only to find half-finished city walls and many buildings partially in ruin from a recent earthquake. They soon obtain rental housing and insert themselves into a community of Latins and Greeks. Giulia gives birth to their first child, Lodovico, who dies two weeks later. A healthy second son, Sigismondo, is born, albeit with difficulties. With the Della Torre line now assured, the couple move within a complicated social hierarchy of elites and settle into the rhythms of colonial life. Girolamo collects rents for a Farnese cardinal and is granted permission to carry arms for his defence. The search for his brother’s assassins continues back in Italy, and Bishop Michele becomes a leading figure at the Council of Trent.