Florence, 1584: an unsuspecting girl is plucked from an orphanage on the orders of the Medici family with the promise of a dowry and a husband. Only when it is too late is she told how she must earn them. A Renaissance #MeToo inspired by the story of Giulia Albizzi and the role she played in enabling the dynastic marriage of the heir to the dukedom of Mantua to a Medici princess.

'Immaculately researched and imagined, rich in period detail and compelling, The Maiden of Florence is a historical fiction tour de force.' Deborah Swift, author of The Poison Keeper.

Katherine Mezzacappa is an Irish author long resident in Carrara. Writing as Katie Hutton, she is the author of four historical novels. Her short fiction has been published in numerous journals worldwide. She has been awarded three residencies to date, in Ireland, Denmark and in 2026 in Latvia. She is a committee member of the Irish Writers Union and reviews for the Historical Novel Society. Her second novel under her own name, The Ballad of Mary Kearney, will be published by Addison & Highsmith in 2025.  Katherine holds degrees from the University of East Anglia, Durham University and Canterbury Christ Church University.

Elizabeth Mac Donald, University of Pisa, author of A Matter of Interpretation, introduces author Katherine Mezzacappa talking about her latest publication "The Maiden of Florence", published in April 2024 by Fairlight. 

The event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required.

At SOTTO al British, Lungarno Guicciardini n.15