“Aumenti la velocitá“- “Increase the speed”- Marta uses this phrase to request the guard controlling the security video to speed up the video.

Ignazio Busoni- Ignazio, nicknamed “Il Duomino” after the museum he directs, is introduced in this chapter as Langdon’s friend who Marta claims accompanied him on his previous visit (which Langdon has no memory of). The name Ignazio fittingly means “fire”, while the last name Busoni also seems to have a connection to Dante’s Inferno; it is shared by Italian composer and musician Ferruccio Dante Michelangelo Benvenuto Busoni.  

Museo dell’Opera del Duomo– The “Museum of the Works of the Cathedral”, often called “Il Duomo” for short, is a museum that houses many of the works originally intended for the Florence Cathedral. The museum is referenced by Langdon as he explains his friendship with Ignazio Busoni to SIenna; Ignazio is said to be the director of the museum.

 

Germline manipulation– Sienna describes Zobrist as having “invented the field of germ-line manipulation”, a term which Langdon does not recognize. Germline manipulation is the modification of genetic material that is passed from parent to child.

Population Apocalypse Equation- In Inferno, Sienna uses the term “Population Apocalypse Equation” to describe Bertrand Zobrist’s belief that current population trends will result in an apocalyptic collapse of society.  A similar term “Apocalypse Equation”, is used in reference to a thesis said to have been written by Audrey Tomason. One website published an article in 2011 claiming that Audrey Tomason was Obama’s Director of Counterterrorism and that she wrote this thesis while attending Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The thesis reportedly claims that the world’ population levels are unsustainable and that a “controlled genocide” may be necessary to save all life on Earth. However, the thesis is, according to the article, now “classified by the US as ‘top-secret'”. These claims can be found on multiple conspiracy websites, but it appears that they are simply multiple repeats of the original article (see 1, 2, 3, etc.). As of now we have not been able to locate further information on Audrey Tomason or the thesis itself.

Black Death– During the Middle Ages a deadly sickness swept through Europe, killing between 75 and 200 million people. This “Black Plague” or “Black Death”, caused by a bacterium, is thought to have originated in Asia, but was most severe in Europe where it killed 30-60% of the total population. The sickness was characterized by the appearance of buboes or gavocciolos, which oozed pus and would bleed if opened. In the book, Sienna mentions the Black Plague while explaining Bertrand Zobrist’s theory about overpopulation– she says Zobrist described the Plague as “the best thing that ever happened to Europe”.

 

“Aspetti!”- “Wait!”- Marta shouts this to pause the guard from fast-forwarding the video.

Beretta– Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta, an Italian firearms manufacturer, is one of the the oldest firearm makers in the world. Marta’s guard carries a black Beretta handgun and Langdon finds it pointed at him as they watch the security video of Langdon and Ignazio stealing the mask.

 

 

 

 

Badia tower– The Badia tower is a tower of the Badìa Fiorentina, an abbey and church located in central Florence. Sienna informs Langdon in this chapter that Bertrand Zobrist jumped to his death from this tower six days earlier.