Introduction: The Power of Your Story
Every leader is first and foremost a storyteller. Before you inspire others, before you build or create, you must first decide what story you believe about yourself. I am Peter de Kuster, and I invite you to join me in Rome, the city where the stories of the world are written in stone and color, in shadow and light.
Our guide on this journey is Bernardino di Betto, known to the world as Pinturicchio. Painter, dreamer, craftsman—he came to Rome not as a master, but as a man with a vision, uncertain if the world would ever see it. His journey is not just a tale of art, but a lesson in leadership: how the story you tell yourself shapes what you dare to create.
As you follow Pinturicchio’s footsteps through Rome, you will discover not only the frescoes he left behind, but the story he whispered to himself as he worked—sometimes in hope, sometimes in fear, always in search of meaning. And, as you stand in the places where he stood, you will be invited to reflect on your own journey as a leader: What story are you living? What masterpiece are you called to create?
The Call to Rome
In the late 15th century, Rome was a city of ambition and anxiety. Popes and princes vied for power; artists arrived from every corner of Italy, hoping for commissions that would make their names immortal. Pinturicchio was among them—a painter from Perugia, known for his skill but not yet for his vision.
He arrived in Rome with little more than his brushes and his dreams. The city was overwhelming: the ruins of the Caesars, the grandeur of the new basilicas, the endless swirl of politics and intrigue. Yet beneath the noise, Pinturicchio heard a call—a whisper that said, “You belong here. Your story matters.”
Every leader knows this moment. It’s the instant you realize that your journey will demand more than talent or ambition; it will demand faith in your own story. Pinturicchio could have told himself that he was just a craftsman, a decorator of other men’s visions. Instead, he chose to believe that he could leave his own mark on Rome.
Crossing the Threshold
Pinturicchio’s first great commission came from a man who understood the power of stories: Pope Alexander VI, the infamous Borgia. The pope wanted his family’s apartments in the Vatican Palace to be transformed into a place of splendor and myth—a stage for power, faith, and legacy.
This was Pinturicchio’s threshold, the point of no return. To accept the commission meant to risk everything: his reputation, his safety, even his soul. Rome was a city of opportunity, but also of danger. The Borgia were feared and envied; their favor could turn to ruin in an instant.
Yet Pinturicchio stepped forward. He gathered his team, studied the walls, and began to imagine the stories he would paint—stories of saints and sibyls, prophets and poets, each one a mirror of the world’s longing for meaning.
As you stand today in the Borgia Apartments, you can still see the courage in Pinturicchio’s brushstrokes. He painted not only for the pope, but for himself—for the part of him that believed in beauty, in truth, in the possibility of transformation.
Trials and Temptations
No great story is without struggle. Pinturicchio’s work was watched by rivals and critics, his every decision second-guessed by patrons and priests. The pope was demanding, the deadlines impossible, the politics poisonous. At times, Pinturicchio doubted himself. Was he truly an artist, or just a servant to power?
In these moments of darkness, Pinturicchio returned to his story. He remembered the fields of Umbria, the quiet mornings in his father’s workshop, the first time he saw color come alive on a wall. He told himself, “I am more than the sum of my fears. I am here to create.”
Every leader faces such trials. The world will test your resolve, question your worth, tempt you to abandon your vision. The story you tell yourself in these moments—whether of defeat or of hope—will shape the legacy you leave behind.
The Mentor and the Muse
In the Vatican, Pinturicchio found mentors and muses in unexpected places. He learned from the ancient frescoes, from the stories of the saints, from the laughter of his apprentices. He listened to the wisdom of the poets and philosophers whose words he painted on the walls.
He realized that leadership is not a solitary journey. The stories of others can guide you, inspire you, challenge you to grow. Pinturicchio’s greatest lesson was humility: to listen, to learn, to let the wisdom of the past shape the vision of the future.
Revelation: The Masterpiece Within
As the work neared completion, Pinturicchio faced his greatest test. The pope was impatient, the city restless, the world changing. Yet in the quiet of the Borgia Apartments, as he painted the final scenes, Pinturicchio discovered a new story within himself.
He saw that his true masterpiece was not on the walls, but in the act of creation itself—in the courage to begin, the perseverance to continue, the faith to finish. He realized that every leader is an artist, every life a canvas, every day a chance to tell a better story.
The Place: The Borgia Apartments
To experience Pinturicchio’s journey for yourself, I invite you to the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican Museums. Here, surrounded by the colors and stories of a forgotten age, you can pause and ask: What is the story I am living? What is the masterpiece I am called to create?
In this extraordinary space, you will find not only the echoes of Pinturicchio’s journey, but the inspiration to begin your own.
An Invitation to Your Own Hero’s Journey
Pinturicchio’s story in Rome is not just history; it is a living invitation. As you walk through the Borgia Apartments, as you listen to the stories painted on the walls, you are invited to become the hero of your own journey.
Leadership is not about certainty, but about courage—the courage to believe in your own story, to face the trials, to create something that lasts. The story you tell yourself is your greatest power. Use it well.
So I ask you: What story will you tell? What journey will you begin? The adventure awaits—in Rome, in the Borgia Apartments, in your own heart.
The Hero's Journey in Rome 