This story was written in 1979.

BUSSETO, ITALY - - - By 9:45 P.M., the last of the sun's red glow is wiped away by a dark but starry night, and the torrid heat of the day seems finally exhausted. On the north side of the broad Piazza Verdi, groups of farmers and merchants sit at the outdoor cafe tables of the Ristorante Bar del Teatro, arguing crops, weather, politics, money and maybe even music. A hundred yards to the south on the other side of the piazza, similar groups take sides in noisy conversation at the Caffe Centrale Pasticceria and Gelateria, where wines, liquor, beer, cakes and ice cream are sold from the same counter. Teenaged boys ogle girls and play pool on a dimlylighted table. . . . CONTINUE

Photo of painting of Verdi in the Grand Hotel in Milan
© Ellie Hilferty 1979

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