Nello

A lively and talkative barber who is proud of the fact that his shop, the "Apollo and Razor", is the resort of the eruditi of Florence. "A man of slim figure, whose eye twinkled rather roguishly. He wore a close jerkin, a skull cap lodged carelessly over his left ear as if it had fallen there by chance, a delicate linen apron tucked up on one side, and a razor stuck in his belt." His shop on the Piazza di San Giovanni is an informal meeting place for all Florentines prominent in art, literature, or politics, and Nello's lively comment on news and personalities forms a gay chorus to the story. When Tito Melema comes to Florence, Nello at once takes him under his protection, introduces him to the two Cennini and to other patrons of his shop, and takes him to see the blind Bardo de' Bardi. Completely won by Tito's charm and beauty, he champions him against all criticism and believes in him to the last. The character of Nello is drawn from that of Domenico di Giovanni, called Il Burchiello (1404 - 48), the barber poet of Florence. Burchiello's portrait in the Uffizi has below it a painting of his shop, from which the description of Nello's shop is taken.

<em>Romola</em>

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