Pezzi Grossi

"The Cavaliere Ascanio was a cadet of one of the great Venetian houses, pezzi

grossi of the Golden Book."[1]

Pezzi grossi is Italian and translates to something like 'big shots' or 'top dogs' or 'head honchos.' The singular would be un pezzo grosso, reffering to a singular 'big shot.'[2]

[1] Wharton 1901, p. 8

[2] see Collins 2019, Nr. 1