Preface and Disclaimer

I chose to write this story out of a need to understand why it has been so obviously difficult for humanity to develop a global societal structure that could be universally accepted as being in the best interest of all. One would think if the world leaders truly seek peace, which is what most of them preach, then one must wonder why has it taken so long for such an accord to materialize? 

After thinking about this for a good portion of my 79 years and after reading hundreds of books and attending dozens of classes and lectures led by educated teachers, I still have not arrived at an understanding. I have concluded it is an error to assume there could be a workable solution. The problem of peaceful co-existence has no solution; there is no global societal structure that will be accepted by all those who supposedly seek peace.

I am convinced peace is an illusory concept that we are fed to give us hope and an expectation for a better world while those who work to shape the world are invariably driven to dominate or eliminate those who stand in the way of their agenda. Seemingly, it is an innate tendency for humans to dominate and manipulate. That is my view.

If I am wrong in taking this view, then it seems that a more accurate or a more realistic view is not so easily arrived at, given the way humanity has developed. To see humanity as being involved in a successful striving to achieve global societal peace is truly a twisted and erroneous perception of reality, in my estimation.

 My view is that this is possible only on a small or local scale. Small societies have been successful in achieving this. On a large scale where various distinct cultures and ideologies are interacting, such as a global scale, the possibility approaches zero.

Yet, even with a close-to-zero possibility of achieving global societal peaceful co-existence, there have been those individuals and groups that have dedicated their efforts and even their lives in an attempt to achieve the goal of building a societal structure that seeks peaceful global co-existence.

I must admit, there is a part of me buried deep inside my soul that wants to believe there is a significantly greater than zero chance of achieving such a dream. I am an optimist, so I have imagined such an attempt to achieve such a global peacefully-oriented societal structure. I am presenting that imagined idea in the following pages.

You will travel along 572 years of history with a determined group of people who believe it is indeed achievable to create a global societal structure that aims for a world of peaceful co-existence. I think you will find this story to be quite believable. I do want to think it is believable also. But you must be prepared to search your soul and be prepared to question everything you have been taught about what makes a great society.

You are about to enter upon a journey that will test your sense of who you are. It will test your sense of right and wrong. It will test your sense of what humanity really is.

                                                             Disclaimer

The characters in this novel which are named after real historical figures may be portrayed in a way which is not historically accurate. Where any deviation from historical truth may have been made, an effort has been taken to preserve the integrity and respectability of that historical figure. No intention has been made to portray any real historical figure in a negative or disparaging way. This author has a high regard and the utmost respect for any real historical figure named in this novel. All other characters have been named randomly and are purely fictional creations.

                  Chapter 1     Matteo Cellini – 21st Century Cellinara

                                                                    Spring 2016

The early morning Tuscan sunlight brightened the eastern horizon as the spring breeze bore the fragrance of the plants and flowers that hung from the porch beams. Matteo Cellini stepped onto the porch deck, closing the door behind him. He paused, observing the cloudless sky, the bright colors of the hanging plants, and the calm, glistening waters of the fishpond, and then concluded it was a delightful morning for a walk into town. He hesitated briefly, gazing at the beautifully landscaped greenery that surrounded his estate home, silently giving thanks to his Creator for the wonderful joys of life that had been gifted to him, to his family, and to his community.

It was Saturday morning. He had planned to meet his friends at the Meeting Hall near the center of town, a walk of about one mile. Matteo and his friends had regular Saturday morning meetings to share breakfast and discuss the issues they all faced as members of the governing authority of Cellinara. Matteo usually had his chauffeur drive him everywhere, but on delightful days such as this one, he sometimes chose to walk. He left an hour earlier than usual to enjoy his walk and avoid being late to join his friends. He would arrange for a ride home, as usual.

Many of the buildings along the route to the Meeting Hall were constructed in the nineteenth century, around the time of the Risorgimento. They were very well built from stone and brick and designed in the style of Italian Renaissance Revival. Matteo enjoyed the feeling of massiveness and solidity of the stone buildings. He often stopped along the way to admire the beauty and feel the energy the buildings seemed to radiate—many buildings in Cellinara dated back to the original commune founded in 1466. Most were still in use. All added to the historic atmosphere that was the essence of this community.

He passed by small shops, restaurants, outdoor cafes, and sidewalk vendors who wheeled their goods from street to street, as did similar vendors in this community five centuries before. He always enjoyed the earthy fragrances that the horse-drawn coaches and carts left behind as they passed. They were allowed in Cellinara in limited numbers and only on certain roads as a reminder that the past should never be forgotten, as it is necessarily connected to the present.

 Matteo especially liked the feeling of being part of a community that had evolved over centuries from the roots of the past, maintaining its integrity and character while also improving and coping with the pressures of modernity without sacrificing its original purpose. 

 It was an idea of a friend of his to line the streets of Cellinara with replicas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century streetlights and to use cobbles and tiles to construct the less-traveled roads. Shop owners were encouraged to use ancient Greek and Roman motifs in their decoration schemes. The atmosphere of this community was unique and attractive. It drew tourists and visitors from all areas. But they only wished they too could call this commune home. It was a special kind of place, but only for special types of people. 

For Matteo, this community had a special meaning. He was an integral part of this community, much like the soil and trees that grew within it. He was part of this special community’s lifeblood. He felt it in the deepest place in his soul. Twenty-three generations ago, a Cellini family member had helped to birth the ideals that Cellinara represented, still to this day, over 550 years later. That was a very comforting, encouraging, and prideful feeling. That essence which defined the Cellini family lineage lived within him just as surely as he breathed. 

Along his walk, he came upon the building that housed the Cellinara Historical Society. It was the place where his father, grandfather, and the family historian would take him as a young adolescent to teach him the history of his city and the history of the Cellini family. The impressive old building had been built only a few years after the founding of the commune of Cellinara. Matteo came here often to browse the collection of papers, letters, documents, and, from recent years, the photos that told the story of the development of this fascinating city he was born into and raised in.

The Cellini family line descended from a group of extremely wealthy and influential Tuscan merchants. The founders, led by Andrea Cellini, established Cellinara in 1466. Matteo remembered how his father, grandfather, and the historian would become animated as they described the events and details of history. They were very proud to be part of this unique city and what it represented. That passionate feeling for his city stayed with Matteo as he grew into adulthood. The story he learned became embedded in his memory and his soul.

At this point, the reader needs to understand why this city of Cellinara is so loved by its residents and how it has survived centuries of trials and tribulations to become the wonderfully unique place our story will focus on. An introduction to the period in which our story begins, along with a brief historical background, will set the stage for the reader.