# Bratti Ferravecchi — Romola character guide

> Bratti Ferravecchi in Romola by George Eliot.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Bratti, the cautious Bratti

**First appearance:** 0003-i-the-shipwrecked-stranger

## Snapshot

A rag-and-bone dealer with a nose for profit and a tongue for proverbs, Bratti plucks a half-drowned Greek from the shore and sells him a cross on the way to Florence.

## Who they are

Bratti Ferravecchi trades in cast-off goods and useful gossip, and his chance rescue of the shipwrecked Tito sets the whole plot in motion. He is pious in the bargaining way, hawking indulgences and blessings at four quattrini apiece while keeping a careful eye on his own margin. His running commentary — half superstition, half street-wisdom — gives the early chapters their texture of ordinary Florentine life, and his paths keep crossing the characters he first salvaged.

## In the story

### [The Shipwrecked Stranger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/i-the-shipwrecked-stranger)

A junk dealer who finds the shipwrecked stranger and tries to engage him in conversation, showing his shrewd and opportunistic nature.

### [II: Breakfast for Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/ii-breakfast-for-love)

A cautious vendor who had earlier found Tito with a valuable ring and is suspicious of him.

### [XIV: The Peasants' Fair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xiv-the-peasants-fair)

Present at the fair, but acting unusually. He is guarding a covered basket containing 'choice' goods, which he refuses to show to curious women, hinting they may be worth their weight in gold.

### [XXX: The Avenger's Secret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/xxx-the-avenger-s-secret)

Bratti provides Baldassarre with information about Tito's life in Florence, unknowingly fueling his quest for revenge.

### [L: Tessa Abroad and at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/l-tessa-abroad-and-at-home)

Bratti encounters Tessa at the Carnival, sells her a cross, and learns where she lives, intending to call on her later.

### [LI: Monna Brigida's Conversion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/li-monna-brigida-s-conversion)

Bratti follows Monna Brigida and Romola, offering a cross for sale, and successfully sells one to Monna Brigida for a grosso, remarking on the inevitability of sin and the value of blessings.

### [LXX: Meeting Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/chapters/lxx-meeting-again)

Provides the clue to Tessa's whereabouts via the necklace.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/characters/bratti
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/romola_se/characters