Giovanni's Story

This page is about Giovanni's Story. For the list of contract objectives, see Giovanni

Giovanni's Contract Story
1	Ciao, my name is Giovanni Leone! Wolfgang, a good friend of mine, told me you're very competent to help with a tricky task. I'm trying to win a public tender to save an old venetian palace...
2	Take a look at the palace, yes... it IS old. But I'm determined to save it no matter what! And I know just the man who can perform the best stress analysis. But he lives so far away...
3	Yes! Thanks to you, we have won the palace tender! Thank you my friend! Let's return to my old family villa and plan the palace restoration. Although, repairing the villa first wouldn't hurt.
4	Alright! Venice has many old palaces but only few people can make the oldest ones beautiful again. And we need to get those people over here. You know, artisans, restorers, craftsmen...
5	My father, the great Viscount Leone, used to say "measure once, plan twice". No no no, it was more like "measure twice, cut once". I actually forgot what he used to say, but we should get ready.
6	Here are the stress analysis results! It seems like the palace can be saved, but the restoration works will require a lot of supporting beams. O Dio mio, I'm so glad you're here to help!
7	You know what you are? A huge help is what you are! And you could be even more helpful if you obtained and delivered some sturdy scaffolding. Then we can start hoarding the materials, woah.
8	I know this is boring... wait, it isn't? Oh I guess it's just me, construction site was never my favourite place to be, but this palace is worth it. Do we have enough materials to start?
9	I had no idea how many stages would a construction, or even a restoration of a historical building contain! There's much ado about nothing again... actually, about pipework and plumbing. Help?
10	Good job! I'm so proud of everyone in our team, we're doing the best thing ever! Well, the best thing for Venice at least. You know what I mean. Oh! I was supposed to remind you of insulation!
11	I've been reading an in-depth book about the Medici family today and I feel so inspired to do more, to achieve more! Let's reconstruct more than we've originally scheduled. Are you with me?
12	Grazie amico mio! Now comes my favourite part - saving the priceless murals. The first thing is to save up a lot of money to hire the best and most experienced artists!
13	Accidenti! Our palace has been sabotaged! They've not only stolen a large part of our materials, but damaged the rest. We must clean this place and find out who did it!
14	Phew, we're lucky we had good insurance and the whole Leone family contributed to compensate the damages. Half of our materials are back, but the rest is up to you. Who could have done this?!
15	It's really expensive, isn't it? I warned you! Don't worry, together we'll succeed! And now's finally the time to invite all those artists to repair our murals and stone ornaments, I'm excited!
16	Do you remember the works of art in my villa? There are some famous names among them and I'd like to exhibit all of them in the palace later. But the palace lacks a storage for old paintings.
17	The palace surroundings must look presentable as well. Please take care of some suitable benches and greenery. I'm counting on your good taste.
18	What is this?! Another sabotage! This is ridiculous, how did we deserve this! A vile graffiti on an ancient palace! We must clean it up immediately. Perhaps the cameras have recorded the culprit.
19	We're getting near the finish line, but I'm worried about our saboteur. Luckily, all my friends have promised to help with hunting him down. But now we must focus on the pompous palace reopening!
20	People are very excited about the reopening of our reconstructed palace. We should invite the whole italian high society to let them see the eccelente work we have done!
21	The opening must be grandiose and our guests must be delighted by every little detail. Oh by the way, the board of trade chairman said he's on to something concerning our saboteur.
22	We've saved a palace condemned to slow decay, this is a great day! But I've realized there is little awareness of Titian, a great venetian artist whom I admire. Let's make a movie about him!
23	The script's all done, have you read it? I'm excited about the era of the movie, renaissance was a hopeful age for humankind. We'll need to build many historical scenes, but they'll be divine.
24	I also want to hire some famous actors. Not to promote the movie with big names, but to make sure the acting is top notch. I know what you're thinking, we'll have to put some big bucks together.
25	I've read the script again and it's wonderfully moving. By the way, the movie's name is going to be "The Genius of Venice". Now, having the money, let's start casting the stars for our drama.
26	Bravo, we've chosen the most wonderful actors! Let's go back to my villa and schedule the rest of the work. Speaking of villa, I'd love to make more space for all the costumes and props there.
27	Let's not forget the crew! The crew is essential to our success. The movie MUST be a masterpiece, just as Titian himself was a master. Bring the whole movie crew to Venice per favore.
28	Grazie! The crew is almost ready to shoot, all that remains are the actual actors, video cameras and other machinery. Give the actors a luxurious ride to Venice, I want them to remember it!
29	The visual conception of the movie calls for old renaissance buildings, marketplace and various props. We've already got most materials needed for building the scenes, but not all of them.
30	Sensazionale! The scenes are magical, the whole city is looking at us and awaiting the return of master Tiziano! His spirit is all around the place. Let's finish the wiring and start shooting.
31	I've done some calculations and thanks to your generous help we can shoot on better cameras. They're already bought, just please deliver them to Venice. Don't worry, the delay is worth it!
32	I've approached the same production studio with audio technology request. They've agreed to give us a huge discount on all production machinery if we rent film lights from their company.
33	Lights, per favore! The shooting schedule is heavily delayed due to our new production technology, but I'm not worried. I think this is exactly what will turn our movie into a blockbuster!
34	Ecco fatto! Everything's ready for the actual shooting. Let's look at the script one last time and choose some nice exterior locations for city scenes. Choose wisely, they must have "the feel"!
35	You have the right sense for ancient places with a special aura. You would make a great Venetian, did you know? The last thing is delivering actor costumes, they should always be close at hand.
36	This is not possible! Our camera technician just found out ALL of our new cameras are defunct, somebody's trying to sabotage the movie. Hurry up amico mio, we need to have these cameras repaired!
37	Ahimè! Despite all our efforts, we weren't able to save some pieces of technical equipment thus we can't proceed. Please amico, help the filmmakers get all they need again.
38	I'm still extremely angry at whoever is trying to foil our noble efforts. I thought we had caught the saboteur! Oh well, let's focus on the task at hand. We still need the Special Effects crew.
39	The visual effects director requested a very advanced piece of technology. Don't ask me about it, I'm a friend with muses, not computers. Hopefully it'll make our movie that much more authentic.
40	Hm, according to our shooting schedule we should soon shoot a scene at Grand Canal with ancient gondolas. I suggest we prepare them, they're very rare and need special treatment.
41	Oh the scene will be magical, even the weather was extremely pleasant. Now for the soulful finale! We'll need many background actors dressed in historical costumes and... where's Titian again?
42	Aaaaaand CUT, that was the last scene, brillante! Amazing acting, breathtaking emotions and our bella Italia! I wonder how people will react... But we still have one pleasant duty to do - recording an original motion picture soundtrack! I want us to hire the most talented composer available.
43	The movie's done! To be honest, I've never hoped we would finish the film on time, especially after what the sneaky saboteur did to our NOT cheap cameras. Let's get the marketing and distribution tasks done and I hereby cordially invite you to the premiere of "The Genius of Venice"!
44	Fantastico! The worldwide reception of our movie is much better than I had expected! Our marketing specialists say people would enjoy seeing the face of Titian himself, not just his actor on the posters. If you travel somewhere in the near future, don't hesitate to take this coach with Titian's portrait. I think people love him now more than ever!
45	I thought it was just my feeling, but after producing a movie which aroused international interest, our people clearly find a deeper connection to their city thanks to their famous natives. It makes me feel very proud, but it's also a commitment. You know, I've always wanted to emphasise Antonio Vivaldi's contribution to music, especially since he was also born in Venice. It won't be cheap, but who will do it if not us?
46	Ideally, I'd like to build a music school bearing Vivaldi's name, but I've been unsuccessful in obtaining the necessary permissions for many years. So! I've decided to have Vivaldi's statue erected in some pleasant Venetian park. We'll make it last ages by sculpting it out of marble. And every pleasant park must contain a marble fountain!
47	The authorities have agreed to the statue, but they won't let me erect it in any existing Venetian park. Bah! Nevermind! We'll make our own park and it will be the most beautiful park in all of Venezia! I've already found the right site so why not start with some basic landscaping...
48	Now that we've dealt with the landforms, terrain shape and elevation, we must turn our attention to obtaining suitable trees and bushes. I've chosen some exotic varieties which are commonly not native to Venice and its surroundings. It will be an extraordinary park, just as Vivaldi was an extraordinary musician and composer!
49	I've hired a landscape architect who should help with the irrigation system. Her advice was simple. To make the park modern as well as convenient, it would only make sense to install a self-watering system on the property. Could you get the hoses and tubes?
50	The architect approves of our flora choice. However, I'll leave the actual tree arrangement up to you. Oh and don't forget the benches, we want people to have nice time sitting in the park, looking at Vivaldi and thinking "this is my home...".
51	Magnifico! The trees look so majestic, I like the whole enviroment very much! But the park still misses its most important features - the fountain and the statue! I trust you will have no problems with the fountain.
52	Do you think Vivaldi liked water? Well, he DID compose a lot of music related to nature, didn't he? I think he wouldn't object to a fountain in a park dedicated to himself. But please take care placing it, Vivaldi's statue must be the dominant of the park, not the fountain!
53	People LOVE the park and the statue! I've received many positive reactions and some of them must've reached the City Hall. Why? Well suddenly it seems we will get the music school permissions after all! And I know of the perfect building!
54	Well... I thought the building would be in a much better condition. Luckily, we have plenty of experience with reconstructions, don't we? In my opinion, the most important thing is installing new electrical wiring. I rely on you!
55	Let's get to work then! If there's something I've learned from my previous experience, it's this - you won't get far without qualified help. After all, we can't do everything ourselves, can we? I have many useful contacts, so finding the right people for the job will not be difficult, but I'll need you to transport them here.
56	I've overheard the workers talking about our future music academy. They think it's a beautiful example of ancient architecture. Ha! I wonder what they'll say once it's finished! Regardless, we should prepare scaffolding so that we don't waste everyone's time later on.
57	Somehow, everything's getting finished much faster, doesn't it? We're obviously a great team! Everyone's working hard but we have to think about the aesthetic appeal of our school now. It's not a big deal, we'll just hire skilled craftsmen from our last reconstruction. I'm confident they won't just repair the crumbling facade, they'll make it even prettier!
58	Everything's going according to plan, I can't wait to see the whole school reconstructed. It will probably be a very emotional moment for me, we've been talking about this project with my father for so long... Unfortunately, he passed away too soon. But know that your effort will not be in vain. I will tell everyone who helped me make Venice into the cultural pearl of Italy! By the way, I've been contacted by several violin producers and some of them want to DONATE their violins to us! But before we can make use of them at school, we must first store them somewhere... I suggest my villa.
59	Wonderful, now that we have a place to store away our strings, let's ship the first batch of string instruments to our villa. I was told some of them might have been crafted by Stradivari himself!
60	Come take a look, hurry! The whole exterior facade is completely restored! Isn't it a beautiful building? Vivaldi would've been so proud... and I hope our students will be proud as well. Now that I see it, I've decided to invest a considerable amount of money into luxurious interior furnishing. Not to show off, I just want the interior to fit well with the splendid exterior design.
61	Done! Would you believe it? After YEARS of trying to pursue the dream of Vivaldi's music academy, the day has finally come! I just wish my father was still alive to see it... But don't get me wrong, I'm very happy! This is all thanks to you, my friend! I suggest we invite musicians, public and open the academy with a festive "Four Seasons" concert written by Vivaldi himself.
62	It was the most beautiful concerto in my life! Did you see the joy in peoples' eyes? Even the musicians were moved... Oh oh! I've talked to many people during the banquet and when they found out our school specializes in string instruments, they were all very disappointed. They begged me to make it a proper conservatorium teaching all traditional instruments. I have to say I like the idea... and I would start with pianos!
63	I love the mix of traditional and modern architecture a lot. The combination of our historical core and the new piano wing will be a building admired by the whole world. But I wouldn't stop there. After all, a proper orchestra definitely needs wind instruments!
64	Thank you. The grey eminences of Venetian music scene want me to add percussion instruments to our repertoire. So... if it's not a problem for you, please deliver them here.
65	I've arranged a grand opening of the whole Vivaldi's Music Academy with the National Philharmonic. It will consist of a splendid orchestral concert taking place in our own concert hall. This is how we'll christen the concert wing. And the exciting part? Some of our future students will attend the concert as well! I wonder what they'll think about the building and Vivaldi's heritage... Please give everybody a worthy ride.
66	I'm very happy we've managed to successfully accomplish our music academy project. It became very famous and appreciated, in fact, I've been approached by my colleagues from theater industry who want us to build another important structure that's been missing in Venice. A theater floating on water. They say if we accept the project, we will receive significant funding. What do you say partner?
67	Excellent, the first step is to look for a competent architect. Please let me talk to several architects and I'll choose the most skilled one. And the most original one, as well!
68	I've made my decision concerning the architect. He says the floating theater can be built, but in order for it to really float on water, it must be very light. That is why we'll need a lot of lightweight carbon. I'm counting on you yet again amico mio!
69	Well would you look at that! So much carbon for such a good price? I'm proud of you, you're a great businessman, has anyone ever told you that? Now let me admire you again when you deliver some cheap but quality cement!
70	Alright, we've got all we need for the basic construction process, I knew I could rely on you! Now, the theater will look rather historical on the outside, but I demand our usual high-tech quality inside! All the lights, microphones and speakers require a lot of wires.
71	My list of necessary materials contains some silicon that we're missing. And please don't ask me what it's supposed to be for. I swear I've written it down somewhere, but I've lost the paper on my way here. So bring me this much silicon and we'll talk when you're done, sì? Ciao!
72	Oh Dio mio! You have to pardon my absent-minded head, I told you to deliver a completely insufficient amount of materials! We'll be needing much more of each raw material. I swear I'll wear sackcloth and ashes until you forgive me!
73	Everything is ready for the final stage of construction. Are you ready as well? Good, that means the only thing missing are the actual builders, hahaha!
74	Wow, the theater looks wonderful, doesn't it? But it feels empty and cold, as if it lacked the vibrant theatrical energy... although everything smells like brand new in here. Listen! I've decided to present a theatrical play written by a Venetian author in observance of opening our new theater. I'm not saying it's going to be cheap or quick, but I believe this theater deserves to open its doors by premiering a play by a native playwright.
75	Ah, here you are! I've got no news because I still haven't made up my mind about the playwright or the play. Could you bring me comedy and satire scripts by Italian renaissance authors? I want the play to be fun. Grazie!
76	Got it! Our play will be called "Mandrake". It was written by a world-renowned Venetian philosopher Niccoló Machiavelli! You seem surprised, but don't worry. I didn't know Niccoló liked to write theatrical plays either. I bet our future director knows that though, so please get the best director with recommendations!
77	Awesome, the first round of castings has already started thanks to you and our new creative crew. By the way, the director was incredibly impressed by the theater and he couldn't wait to cast the main characters - the seductive Callimaco, the beautiful Lucrezia and the old Nicia. Oh I can't wait either! I'd love to be present at every single casting!
78	The castings are coming along nicely, but we have to think about costumes and props as well. I need you to fetch historical costumes for both male and female actors and I trust you can accomplish this task in good time. After all, you've got plenty of experience from "The Genius of Venice", haven't you?
79	Ugh, the clothes don't fit anywhere and we haven't even started delivering the props yet! I'd store the costumes in my home but my storage is all but full and there's no place to put them in anymore. Although this may be a great opportunity to deal with my villa's storage capacity too...
80	Welcome to the casting, amico mio! I'm glad you've decided to visit at least one of the castings. Can you see the tall actor on the right? In my opinion, he's the perfect Callimaco. He's going to be superb! A pity Lucrezia and Nicia are still missing. Well, I hope we'll meet again during the second round of castings!
81	Another expansion of my residence has just been finished, come take a look! Amazing job, don't you think? Look at the style! Everything was built with great taste and elegance, it makes me very happy. And now we can store the props in my villa without any issues. When do you leave to get them?
82	Finally! We've found the right actors and their backups for all the roles. Lucrezia is absolutely beautiful, the audience will love her! So! Now the rehearsing can truly begin. But I also want to stress the importance of marketing, would you mind placing promotional posters all around the city? Thanks!
83	Oh no, the premiere is almost upon us and EVERY single actor has become sick! How is it possible, everyone was just fine at yesterday's rehearsal. I bet we've been sabotaged again and someone has poisoned our actors! Quickly amico, bring here the backups as fast as possible! Pronto!
84	Uff, that was close! This is the last possible day for organizing the celebratory banquet in observance of opening the doors of the new "floating" theater and of premiering Machiavelli's Mandrake. I rely on you as never before amico - take care of the banquet and then dress up! You can't miss the Mandrake premiere!
85	Come take a ride with me, we must talk. The theater lives its own life now and I'm running out of creative energy. I'd like to go on a vacation somewhere far away, but before I do, I want to finish one last project. I've been supporting and collecting art for years now, especially paintings and statues. I think it's time to share them with my compatriots. A gallery would be the most wonderful closure of my quest for the promotion of Venetian art!
86	I'm really enthused by the gallery project! Oh don't look at me like that, I've only bought a few paintings, nothing more. But you know my place, the villa urgently needs more space for storing all the artworks. The interior could be made of marble, what do you say?
87	Wait wait! The villa extension can't be built by just anyone! I need the same architect who had been overseeing my previous villa extensions. Drive him down here and give him whatever he asks for. Money, people, overtime... anything!
88	I thought I would have to take out credit for the construction, but then I remembered I had you, hahaha! Truth be told, it's great having a friend like you. I'm leaving the construction is in your hands!
89	Our friends from Firenze have learned about our plan to open up a new gallery in Venice and they've offered to donate several statues by Michelangelo to us. They don't seem to have enough display space for them, we're super lucky! But first we need to caaaarefully transport them over here. Take good care of them - they're an important part of Italian history!
90	See? Investing in the villa extension has really paid off. Where else would we keep all those statues? I knew it was a good idea. Well, I'm having a business lunch so I have to dash, but from now on, you are permitted to act on my behalf in all matters concerning the gallery construction. The architect as well as all the workers now answer only to you.
91	I've just been told what has happened, sorry I couldn't have come sooner. But dammit, how could they have sabotaged us AGAIN? I have run out of patience amico mio, I'll invest my last cent in finding out who's doing it! Your task is finding and hiring the best investigators! And pronto!
92	The investigators hold people in different cultural positions in suspicion of the sabotage. They want to examine their personal mail which is why I need your help. Your trains transport Venetian mail, don't they?
93	Severino did it! The wretch has been trying to ruin my family for years! I knew it! But we still lack direct evidence, which is why we must catch him in the act. I'll meet you at the construction site. If he's still eager to harm me, he'll show up sooner or later!
94	*you've received a strange looking letter* As the authorized representative of Mr. Giovanni Leone, it is my duty to inform you that Mr. Leone has been badly injured in an attempt to catch an alleged saboteur. Fortunately, the saboteur has been caught and imprisoned. Mr. Leone begs you to finish the construction of his gallery without him. He has full confidence in your skills and he entitles you to make independent decisions concerning the location and the design of the building. Regards, law office ItaliaLaw.
95	*You're doing a pretty good job! But at the same time you feel that Giovanni would'nt be satisfied with the gallery just yet. You roll up your sleeves and decide to build a gallery Venice and Giovanni can be proud of!*
96	*The gallery is a huge success! In honour of Giovanni and everything he has done for Venice, you decide to name it "Galleria Leone". However, the Department of Transport asks you to help them produce a travelling train exhibition featuring many significant artworks by Italian artists. You are to show them a train set which could serve as a model for Italian designers.*
97	I'm back! Did you miss me? I missed you too, but I yearned to see the beautiful Galleria Leone above all else. It's grandiose! We should drink to it as soon as possible, but before I forget - people at the Department of Transport can't decide whether to use a steam, diesel or electric engine. Show them some of your steam machines so that they know what they're dealing with. And you are expected at my party tonight!
98	They send their sincere thanks, but they'd like to see some diesel trains as well. You've got plenty of those, don't you?
99	Seems like neither steam nor diesel trains meet their requirements. I remember them mentioning something about ecology or something. Basically, they want you to deliver one particular electric locomotive, but I forgot its name. I'll forward you their email, okay?
100	Wow, the train looks FAN-TAS-TIC! What are you waiting for, send the beauty on its first journey around Italy!