The Mystery of the Keyhole - An ancient cross pattée and the invisible thread linking Florence to the Aventine #1017095

In May 1977, young Valerio travels from Florence to Rome with his family and friends, waiting in line to look through the famous keyhole at Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta on the Aventine Hill. An encounter with a mysterious cloaked man and the chance discovery of a toy soldier depicting a Templar knight trigger a series of coincidences and esoteric chills tied to the cross pattée spanning Florence and the capital. Growing up, Valerio graduates with a degree in Medieval History studying Templar preceptories and moves to Rome for work; there he meets Elena, an architect and restorer with whom he deciphers the clues hidden in the toy soldier and Piranesian architecture. Exactly twenty years after his first visit, returning to the Aventine, Valerio looks through the keyhole once more and discovers hermetic micro-engravings and the crossed kite, grasping the grand design and profound meaning of his own destiny.