IN THE SUMMER of 1588, Leone de’ Sommi set off from his home in Mantua to Piedmont. The distance, which covers over 280 kilometers, was not simple to traverse, even in summer, due to the hilly, rugged terrain. The journey was less than comfortable, given the number of mosquitos that multiplied during spring and summer in the often-flooded agricultural lands between Lombardy and Piedmont. When he left his home, he did not know how long it would be until he would return to it. In fact, he would be gone for several weeks, and, while his journey ended in his safe return, it was not without its price.

The circumstances of De’ Sommi’s departure suggest the immense pressures that undergirded his extraordinary success, and so I begin the story of De’ Sommi near the end of his life, in June of 1588, as he made his way to Piedmont. Early summer of 1588 was a tense time for the Jews of Mantua. They had been asked to recite a play for the new Duke, Vincenzo, in honor of his birthday. Duke Vincenzo’s father, Guglielmo, had died the year before, and his son was a new ruler and very much an unknown quotient. For the Jewish community, much would be riding on their first production. Theatre functioned as an opportunity to impress the new Duke and secure his protection, a key to cementing a relationship between the Gonzaga and the Jewish population in general. Therefore, the Jewish community understandably approached preparations for the requested play with utmost seriousness, relying on the talents and organizational abilities of De’ Sommi.

With that in mind, De’ Sommi’s departure from Mantua in early summer is all the more surprising. Why would he ever want to leave Mantua at such a critical moment? The answer lies in the Turin state archives, in documents from a few years later, just after De’ Sommi had died, in 1592. These documents reveal De’ Sommi’s connection to a Piedmont Jewish resident called Moyse Melli (sometimes spelled Moisé Melli), an agento eletto (elected agent, otherwise known as a massaro) in the Piedmont Jewish community.