Importance of trees to the narrative.

Cosimo makes a home and a family out of the place and the dynamic rhythmic life the trees provide. They cover the whole village and countryside, making it possible to travel from one country to the next without touching the ground. It was this density that makes a life above the ground and outside the current political system possible for Cosimo. It also provides the seclusion necessary for him to conduct his love affairs, spend hours in study of books, and in the writing of the letters and treatises in which he records his vision for his country.