Chapter 19 Summary

The nineteenth chapter recounts the tales of Cosimo's many successful pursuits of romance on his return to Ombrosa. Having been introduced to the art of love and gained in experience and maturity, he applies his charm to what maidens can be found just under his feet. Stories and daydreams mix with rumors to become legends about the exotic nature and number of Cosimo's lovers, as the townspeople are fascinated with his success at conducting such a successful love life in the trees. Young girls in the area are swept away by his romantic singularity and so are completely happy to offer themselves up to him as lovers for even a single evening. The reader gets the impression, however, that each girl comes away from her experience of Cosimo feeling they had a romance different from any other, an experience she will remember and...