Valeriano di Rossi

Senza la mia maschera nel viso mio (without my mask on my face). The green-lensed Goldoni-style sunglasses keep my eyes healthy in spite of excessive sunlight exposure. Mad Dogs and Englishmen, September 2023. Photo credit to Johann Steinarsson.

Gules, a serpent erect tail nowed argent between three comets Or.

It's a bird! It's a plague! It's...an Early Modern Period version of a hazmat suit?

Nobel Valeriano di Rossi

• Pronunciation guide: Here's how to properly pronounce my first name "Valeriano", and the "Rossi" part of my surname, with an Italian accent.
• Alternate/former/use names: "Val" may be used as a nickname, if one is averse to pronouncing too many tricky Italian syllables.
• Persona's Preferred Pronouns: Any works
• Armorial/Order of Precedence: https://www.calontir.org/persona/4940

Persona

• Period: Early 17th century
• Birthyear: Circa 1610
• Location: The Republic of Venice, or the Veneto region of modern northeastern Italy
• Favorite color: Red, just like the (modern) Venetian flag, and just like the etymology of my surname.
• Favorite beverages: Il caffè, e anche vino prosecco. Ideally, each respectively before and after my many long work days...
• Favorite Catholic saint: San Rocco. Self explanatory.
• Occupation: Plague doctor working during the 1630 Yersinia pestis outbreak in Venice, ominous beakmask and all. But remember, just as my partially bird-like appearance indicates, I'm just winging it.

Activities and Interests

• Proper sanitation and personal/public health practices, and their history. With that said, ideally, leeches should stay living in their bog homes, and patients should stay living with their blood remaining inside their bodies. Additionally, substances such as emeralds, mercury, and arsenic should never be consumed! However, sick individuals should really stay away from healthy individuals, to avoid making the healthy individuals become sick as well.
• Learning the Italian language and general culture. This is to appear more Italian-like to onlookers despite my identity-concealing plague doctor garb. With that said, I would have actually been speaking the Venetian language back in the 17th century. Speaking of separating the sick from the healthy...did you know that the word and practice "quarantine" is Venetian in origin?
• Venetian Carnevale masks, such as my iconic medico della peste mask. Masks aren't just functional; they can be fun, too!
• Wearing accessories and trinkets related to Italian superstitions about health and well-being. This is more for style and pops of color against my somber all-black garb more than anything. This includes a golden mano cornuto from the south, a blue eye-charm against il malocchio from Turkey, and many colorful scarves to protect against that colpo d'aria.
• The Near East and Far East's historical interactions with the Republic of Venice. I am especially interested in the nearby rivalling Ottoman Empire and the distant Chinese Empire, both areas that fellow Venetian Marco Polo had once travelled through back in the 13th century. Without the trade routes with such partners, Venice could not have had first-hand access to their exotic spices, delicious foodstuffs, and vibrant material goods, all which that I have come to enjoy so much whenever patient caseloads become low. ...Nor could have the Republic potentially imported deadly plagues that I have come to detest so much whenever patient caseloads become high, either.
• Learning Cut and Thrust techniques. This is a plausible form of self-defense that a northern Italian civilian could have used during the 1628-1631 War of the Mantuan Succession that was unfortunately occurring in my area and time period. After all, just like in my plague doctor garb, during modern C&T, I am still masked up and covered head-to-toe in protective gear, using a long implement to interact with the dangerous world. Aiya, not only were those invading French and Spanish forces tearing apart the northern Italian countryside and communities that they were using as their personal battleground, they had brought the 1630 plague to us during their little spat, too!
• Learning basic but effective modern first aid techniques to support my good gentles who are more experienced at fighting than I am.
• Calligraphy. I don't want my handwriting to be as brutto as many modern doctors' could be in my own medical occupation's ample notetaking.
• Gardening and herbalism. My persona first name being almost identical to that of a specific historical calming anti-plague herb isn't just coincidental.
• Italian food culture and cuisine. After all, plagues and maladies in general affect malnourished bodies the worst. The 1620s northern Italian famine is why so many especially perished from the subsequent 1630 plague. This Italian cuisine would ideally be created as a result of the aforementioned gardening and herbalism activities. And no, I do not consider the historical yet somewhat related Venice Treacle recipe a "cuisine"!
• Aromatherapy and perfumery. This is mainly to cover up any sickening bad miasmas smells out there over anything else.
• Mixology? Historically-based, of course. Herbal ingredients combined with alcohol did used to be a form of medicine back in the day. In a way, alcoholic mixed drinks do still help us feel better even in modern times, don't they?
• Overall, in between dealing with disease and its loathsome consequences on society, I am here to make friends and have fun. ☺

History in the SCA

Timeline:

• When started in SCA: I first learned about the SCA's existence at the April 2022 Great Plains Renaissance Festival in Wichita, Kansas. Most folk, both modern and historical, are frightened of me in my plague doctor garb and want to stay away. However, the fine gentles of Vatavia were not; they wanted to talk to me! I thought this would be a wonderful new social group and hobby to have after the modern plague, after dealing with disease for so long.
• Significant events since then (competitions, championships, tourneys, first event, etc.):
  • First Baronial Event: Champions, August 14, 2022. Blue Cord presented by Genevieve de Chambery and Lawrence Taillefer the Leech.
  • First Kingdom Event: Midwinter Knights Dream, December 17, 2022. Award of Arms presented by Duncan Bruce of Logan & Ylva Jonsdottir.

Groups and Affiliations:

• Current Group: Barony of Vatavia
• Previous Groups: None.
• Guilds, Households, etc: N/A

Offices:

• Local Offices:
• Regional Offices:
• Kingdom Offices:
• SCA-wide Offices:
• Other service:

Other Information

◆ Current Project: My ongoing quest to learn as many Romance languages as possible! Do you care to follow along? ☺

IN CASE OF COURT

Courts or any other theatrical SCA rituals of any kind currently make me extremely trepidacious. I mainly only attend these out of necessity to support friends, and to hear important news. I'd like to hopefully become accustomed to these someday to enjoy them normally as a regular spectator. In the meantime, proceed with caution.

Artist Portfolio

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