\'She crossed over to the shelf where her father kept the dragon vase.
An Italian merchant who has travelled far and wide, Niccolo has brought spices from India, lengths of Silk and damask from the lands east of India and por.
She took it down carefully, feeling it cool and comforting under her shaking fingers.\' Venice 1441: Maria and her brother Daniele arrive in the birthplace of their father, Niccolo dei Conti.
He had placed it there when they first arrived in Venice. \'She crossed over to the shelf where her father kept the dragon vase