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Other than the fact that they had been to school together, the two of theent child since his first roll call at the age of five, whereas Paolo Castelli soed always to be late, even for his first roll call

Gian Lorenzo felt at home in the classroom with books, essays and exams, where he outshone his contemporaries Paolo achieved the sae of pace, a deceptive turn and a shot at goal which beguiled his own tearessed to St Cecilia’s, the h school in Rome, where they were able to display their talents to a wider audience

When their school days were over, they both graduated to Roma: Gian Lorenzo to the nation’s oldest university as a scholar, Paolo to the nation’s oldest football club as a striker Although they didn’t mix in the same circles, they were both well aware of the other’s achievements While Gian Lorenzo collected honors in one field, Paolo won theoals

After leaving university, Gian Lorenzo joined his father at the Venici Gallery He i those years of study into so more practical, as he wished to emulate his father and become the most respected art dealer in Italy

By the tiun his apprenticeship, Paolo had been appointed captain of Ro in his ears, he led thelory Gian Lorenzo only had to turn to the back pages of any newspaper, on an almost daily basis, to follow the exploits of his forossip colu from his arm: another difference between them

Gian Lorenzo quickly discovered that in his chosen profession long-teroal, but on hours of dedicated research, coment He had inherited froifts in any art dealer’s arht his son not only how to look, but where to look, when searching for a masterpiece The oldand sculpture, which would never appear on the open market Unless a piece was exclusive, Antonio didn’t venture out of his gallery His son followed in his footsteps The gallery bought and sold only three, perhaps four, paintings a year, but those ed hands at around the same price as one of Roma’s strikers After forty years in the business, Gian Lorenzo’s father knew not only who possessed the great collections, butor, better still, needed to part with the occasional masterpiece

Gian Lorenzo becarossed in his work that hefor Italy against Spain in the European Cup This personal setback placed Paolo on the sidelines of the football field, as well as the newspapers, especially when it became clear that he had reached his sell-by date

Paolo left the world stage just as Gian Lorenzo strode onto it He began to travel around Europe representing the gallery in an endless quest to seek out only the rarest exa acquired a masterpiece, to find someone who could afford to purchase it

Gian Lorenzo often wondered what had beco football and the press no longer reported his every ht when Paolo announced his engagement

Paolo’s choice of e partner ensured that his exploits were transferred froes to the front

Angelina Porcelli was the only daughter of Massimo Porcelli, president of Roest pharhts, declared the banner headline in one of the tabloids

Gian Lorenzo turned to page three to discover what merited such a coe for a model, I hear you say—but there the comparison ended, because the other vital statistic the reporters latched on to was Angelina’s weight This seemed to vary between three hundred and three hundred and fifty pounds, according to whether it was reported by a broadsheet or a tabloid

A picture is worth a thousand words Gian Lorenzo studied several photographs of Angelina, and concluded that only Rubens would have considered her as a model In every picture of Paolo’s future bride, no amount of skill displayed by the couturiers of Milan, the stylists of Paris, the jewelers of London, not to ions of personal trainers, dietitians and ar pluraphers took, however considerate they tried to be, and some didn’t, they only emphasized the transparent difference between her and her fiance, especially when she stood alongside Roelina’s size, reported nothing else about her of any interest

Gian Lorenzo turned to the arts pages, and had quite forgotten about Paolo and his future bride when he strode into the gallery later that reeted by his secretary, who thrust a large, gold-elanced down at the invitation

Sienor Massimo Porcelli

has pleasure in inviting

to the hter,