Cornetti – Very similar to the French croissant, this Italian pastry is generally softer than croissants and is often baked with different fillings.

 

Via Dei Leoni – A street in Florence that runs behind the Palazzo Vecchio, it is named after the lions that the Medici used to keep in cages on the road.

 

Lira – The former currency of Italy, Brown uses the coinage as a substitution for penny in the saying “penny for your thought”.  By doing so, Brown changes the saying to apply to Italy.

 

Anathema – Defined by Merriam-Webster as “Someone or something that is very strongly disliked”.  Siena uses this word to describe how Zobrist is viewed by the science community.

 

Apollo and Dionysus – This conflict refers to the contrast between Apollo, the god of reason, and Dionysus, the god of wine.  The modern interpretation focuses on the conflict in a person’s mind between logic and emotion.

 

AA – “Alcoholics Anonymous” is an organization founded in 1935 on the intention to help alcoholics to reach sobriety.  Currently popular worldwide, the program has been extremely successful in helping alcoholics to become comfortable with sobriety.

 

Logan’s Run – A novel by George Clayton Johnson and William F. Nolan, the book describes a world where all humans agree to kill themselves at age 21, a cultural concept that many people cannot imagine performing themselves.

 

 

VIA DANTE ALIGHIERI – A street in Florence, it runs from Largo Cairoli to Piazzale Cordusio.  Only travel by foot is permitted, and it is named after Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy.

 

 

Neuroscience – A form of science that explores the nervous system, it focuses heavily on how the brain functions.  Neuroscience can be broken down into specific categories, such as molecular neuroscience or cellular neuroscience.

 

Judgement Day – “The Last Judgement” is believed in Christianity to be the day when Jesus and all the angels perfectly judge every soul that has ever lived.  If souls have already been in heaven or hell, they will stay put. Then, the world will become anew, and so will heaven.

 

 

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