Synopsis

Alexander VI’s envoys, Cesare and Alessandro, arrived in Florence to a reception starkly different from that accorded to Christ. Instead of acclamations and blessings of palm fronds, they encountered expressions of censure and disquiet. The city, now under the sway of Savonarola, had shed its former libertine ways for an atmosphere of austerity. Later, on Palm Sunday, Cesare attended Mass led by Savonarola. During the service, Niccolò Machiavelli spoke with Cesare, expressing a desire to join th