Lucia in the Age of Napoleon

A stunning portrait of a remarkable woman, by the author of the international bestseller A Venetian Affair.

It was a chance encounter with a ten-foot high marble statue of Napoleon Bonaparte that sparked the author's interest into the life of his great-great-great-great grandmother Lucia. The statue was originally commmissioned by Lucia's husband Alvise, during Napoleon's heyday. But it was not delivered until after Napoleon's downfall and Alvise's death. Seemingly at a loss as what to do witht he cumbersome statue, Lucia left it in the entrance hall of their home - where it remains today. Andrea realised that the long-neglected statue did serve a purpose - it was tangible link to Lucia and her world.

In 1797, Lucia, the beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter of a Venetian statesman, was married off to Alvise Mocenigo, scion of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families of the once glorious maritime Republic. They were a golden couple in Venice's twilight years. But Lucia's life was suddenly transformed when the thousand-year-old Serenissima collapsed under the blows of young Bonaparte in 1797.

Through unearthed letters and archived diaries from across Europe, Andrea di Robilant has pieced together the exceptional life of his ancestor. This is Lucia's story, from dazzling young hostess in Vienna, lady-in-waiting at the court of Prince Eugene de Beauharnais in Milan to single mother in Paris and the poet Bryon's hard-nosed Venetian landlady.

This is Lucia's story, from dazzling young hostess in Habsburg Vienna, lady-in-waiting at the court of Prince Eugene de Beauharnais in Milan, single mother in Paris during the fall of Napoleon's Empire or as Byron's hard-fisted landlady during the poet's stay in Venice.

Andrea di Robilant was born in Rome in 1957. He was educated at Le Rosey (Switzerland) and Columbia University, where he studied history and international politics. He has worked as a journalist all his life, in Europe, the United States and Latin America. His previous book, A Venetian Affair, was published to great acclaim in 2004. He lives in Rome with his wife and two sons.

Allen & Unwin
Author: Andrea di Robilant
ISBN: 9780571233182
RRP: $35.00