Also available in: Italian

This year marks 230 years since the birth of the illustrious writer who washed clothes in the Arno: Alessandro Manzoni.
Born in Milan, March 7, 1785 by Giulia Beccaria and Pietro Manzoni, although it seems that the natural father was Giovanni Verri the lesser of famous brothers. Alessandro was born in a family that “breathes” culture and it shows very well throughout his literary career.
Fundamental model for subsequent national literature do not know maybe a singular anecdote about his private life. The most famous for the novel “The Betrothed” relatively Don Abbondio wrote: “Courage is not one if you can give.” A phrase that our Alessandro knew because he had little courage. In fact he never went out alone, without being accompanied, because he suffered from agoraphobia.
It seems that this phobia comes from the days when Napoleon married Marie Louise of Austria in 1810 and the writer stuck in the crowd had a panic attack and his wife Henrietta fainted. From that moment he was afraid of open and crowded places.

We never thought that the author of the famous opening words “That branch of Lake Como ….” had weaknesses similar to those of the common man, which he speaks extensively about in his historical novel.