The Manzoni Family (36 page)

In March news reached Pisa that Carlo Alberto had granted the
Statuto
to Piedmont. Then came news of the uprising in Milan.

Bista left Pisa with a university battalion, consisting solely of teachers and students. Vittoria thought they would return immediately, since they were untrained. But some time later she heard that they had crossed the Po.

Stefano was at Lesa; Teresa and Alessandro were in Milan. On the morning of 18 March the insurrection broke out in Milan. Stefano arrived in Milan that very morning with his servant Francesco; he tried to enter the city and failed. The servant suggested they go to Brusuglio, which they reached by lanes and short-cuts. Teresa heard he was at Brusuglio, and wrote him a note: ‘To Stefano, 18th March 1848. I am well. I have slept well. If you are safe, all of you, we are safe here at home. Your Mama commends your life to you, for her sake.' Manzoni added a line: ‘We are in the midst of the crisis, but untroubled. Love to you all.' At Brusuglio were Pietro with his wife and Lodovico Trotti. Two days later, on 20 March, Teresa again to Stefano: ‘I am well, and if I could be sure you won't come to the Dazi to try to enter, a great, an enormous weight would be taken from my mind. O, for the love of God, for the love of me, don't come and try to woo or force your way in! we will see each other soon, but meanwhile we must have patience. I am well: I get up now at seven a.m. Papa is well and in good spirits, but concerned to hear news of Filippo who was with that French friend of his. . . O Stefano; I beg you, don't go trying to enter now, for Heaven's sake. In the evening, apart from the barricades there are traps on every side made of strong wire – apart from the fact that they were thinking of leaving the manholes open to obstruct movement – if they do it or if they've done it, it will be very risky for everyone. God's blessing on you, by my heart and my hand. Give my regards to Pietro and Lodovico, to whom your Mama commends you with that weakness she has and will always have. Papa is writing; he will tell you about Filippo for whom he has been praying last night and yesterday and today; and has asked others to pray. – But as he was with that Frenchman, I do hope he will still be with him. – However, I am distressed for him. For heaven's sake don't add to my distress by a lack of care for me, you who are the model of filial care. You need not have the slightest anxiety for me or for Papa. The steward is very well and is always with us. We have an excellent doorman, and an extra man at the door at night. Cormanino sleeps in the hall. . . and Domenico in the anteroom [these were two servants], which is quite unnecessary, anyway, as nobody is attempting to enter houses. I've written this on my feet to make haste. Not a half hour or quarter of an hour goes by without my commending you to your Angel, to the Madonna and to the Lord, with all my heart.'

At last they heard what had happened to Filippo. On the afternoon of 18 March he had gone to Broletto, with other Milanese nobles, to sign on for the Civil Guard. In the evening the Austrians attacked Broletto, and took twenty hostages. Filippo was among them.

On 23 March the Austrians left Milan.

Teresa to Stefano:

‘What joyful tidings! What unforgettable, everlasting glory to the Milanese of the 22nd and 23rd March 1848. They have gone! And where is my Stefano? I need to see you to believe my own eyes. I am well in spite of the 15 battles lasting almost 5 whole days, but in my heart. . . The Lord receive our hearts for ever, may the Madonna and the guardian Angel receive our ever more tender affection. I embrace you. . . Will I soon embrace you? Your Mama. Filippo. . . will certainly come tomorrow.'

But Filippo remained a prisoner of the Austrians for several months. He had been taken by the troops of Marshal Radetzky, and imprisoned with the other hostages in the Castello Sforzesco; then, when the Austrians had abandoned Milan, the hostages had been taken on foot first to Melegnano, then to Lodi, then to Crema by stage-coach. At Crema they were visited by a certain Signor Grassi, who was selling arms to the Austrians; Grassi offered to lend them money, and take letters to their families. So Manzoni reeived a letter from Crema; Filippo was well, and suffering no hardships. Still by Signor Grassi his father sent him money, an overnight bag, linen and clothes. ‘My dear Filippo, how can I explain the comfort we felt on seeing your handwriting?' he wrote ‘. . . Write at once to tell Pietro and Enrico your news, you can imagine how eagerly they await it. You can also imagine how Teresa and Stefano share in your misfortune, and long to see you. I trust in God that the exchange will soon take place, and I will have you in my arms. Oh, how we will thank Him!'

Filippo was twenty-two on the very day he was captured. He was studying law reluctantly, and spending a lot of money, and he was on bad terms with his father. But now all was forgiven. ‘My ever dearer Filippo. . .'

Stefano, mentioned in Manzoni's letter as if he were in via del Morone, in fact, was not there, and had not put in an appearance there; he did not succeed in entering Milan; he left Brusuglio and went back to Lesa, then from there to Novara, then to Turin, and put himself at the disposal of the Piedmontese government. Teresa had no news of him; she thought he was ‘either dead or wounded at some customs post, night and day these were always, always my visions!!!' she wrote to her administrator, Patrizio; then a friend, Don Orlando Visconti, came specially from Lesa to tell her Stefano was well; but when he came, she was asleep, and neither received nor thanked him. ‘O what brave, heroic Milanese! unique in the world, a hundred times greater than the Parisians of the
trois journées!
Population of heroes, worthy of Roman Italy! But we. . . but my poor Alessandro whose Filippo. . . was arrested Saturday at the Broletto – poor Filippo, those poor young men in hands worthy of those who perpetrated the horrors of Tarnoff! – O good Patrizio! Will I see Stefano? will I see him alive? – He has been so good to me!'

Manzoni to Vittoria and Matilde:

‘I have no heart to tell you about the wonders here, until I have Filippo in my arms. . . The house suffered no close shell-fire: only the street barricade was fired on, at the Corsia del Giardino end. . . Every minute there would be good news: one place taken, then another, until they held only the castle and the gates. In a word, the predominant feeling in Milan in those five days was joy, especially among those fighting.

‘May God soon send our Filippo back to us!'

Stefano from Lesa, to his mother:

‘I am very well. If I had time I would write about the political news of Piedmont, but it would take three or four pages. . . The name Republic has become generally not only unpopular but odious, at Genoa too, and even the students in Turin no longer talk of it. . . The army and the officers, too, are very uneasy about it, and God forbid that these brave soldiers should be overcome by discouragement or indifference. . . If we were to seem ungrateful, if the Republic were to be declared, there would be a grave danger that the Piedmontese would lose those feelings of friendship and brotherhood they've always had for us. . .'

In Milan a petition was circulated for union with Piedmont; many signed it; although Manzoni had signed a request to Carlo Alberto to come to the help of the Milanese, he refused to sign the petition for union with Piedmont. It was never clear why. Massimo d'Azeglio was furious. He said Manzoni was adhering to Republican ideas. But this was not so; Manzoni respected Carlo Alberto, he did not like the Republicans and he did not like Mazzini. D'Azeglio wrote to his wife: ‘Tell Manzoni that, if he succeeds in making a republican of Carlo Alberto, he won't succeed in making one of Pius IX. It would be putting two serpents in the bosom of Italy, that would tear themselves and her. For the love of God, let's be content to make a constitutional State on the Po. . . If one is always in one room, talking to the same people, one cannot judge a country and the real world. . . Common sense, possibilities, not poetry, for Heaven's sake!'

Lodovico Trotti had rejoined the Piedmontese army. He had entrusted his four children to the Arconatis.

One evening, Manzoni was called upon to appear at the balcony. There were three hundred students in the street, ‘accompanied by another great throng', Teresa wrote to Stefano, ‘and even by ladies with their servants.' He did not want to appear, but Teresa and her maid, Laura, begged him. Flanked by his servants, Domenico and Cormanino holding lamps (‘the lamps of the century', Teresa commented) he ‘appeared at poor Filippo's little terrace or balcony and shouted: “Viva! Viva l'Italia!” Then they shouted: “Viva Manzoni!” and he called, “No! No! Viva! Viva l'Italia, and all who fight for her! I have done nothing! Mine is only a longing. “ And they shouted: “No! No! You have done a great deal! You have given the initiative to all Italy! Evviva! Evviva Manzoni, champion of Italy!” Then their leader pushed forward, banner held high, imposed silence and said: “I am the Leader of the University Battalion. Let us ask Manzoni for a hymn to the Liberation of Italy!” And Manzoni said: “I will do it! I will do it when I can!” ... I did not move from my room, but I could hear the voices and the clapping. Alessandro was quite confused with modesty. But I hope they will have understood the reason for his:
When I can!
As long as those barbarians have our Filippo, you understand. . . will they have understood? ... I hope so. . .'

Filippo had been taken to Kufstein, in the Tyrol. People said the hostages would soon be set free, but no one knew when.

Filippo to Vittoria, in April:

‘My good Vittoria

‘I am sure all the righteous indignation you felt towards me for going so long without writing will turn to compassion and love, when you receive this from the fortress of Kufstein in the Tyrol, where I am held hostage. The family must have told you of my situation. I assure you that I bear it with all possible resignation and firmness. My health is quite good. I'm only writing a few lines, but I want you to have news from me. Tell dear Bista that I am thinking of him too with the affection and heart of a true brother. Then give the biggest hug possible to my Matilde. Kiss your baby girl for me, and together with the names of Papa and Mama, teach her to say the name of Uncle Pippo, who loves her as he loves all his nephews and nieces. Please God the exchange of hostages take place soon, that I may once more be reunited with my family. . .

Filippo returned home in mid-June. From Kufstein he had been moved to Vienna, where he lived free under police supervision. He ran up many debts in Vienna, but his father did not know until later.

Bista had succumbed to pernicious fever at the front, and was sent back to Pisa.

Massimo d'Azeglio, who was field adjutant to General Durando, was wounded in the leg.

In July there was a serious fire at Brusuglio. The farm houses were destroyed. The financial loss to the Manzonis was enormous.

The war was going badly. In Milan they were afraid the Austrians would return. At the end of July, Manzoni made an inventory of the things in the house, locked the cupboards and rooms, gave the keys to Pietro, and set off for Lesa on 29 July with Teresa and two maids; Lesa was in the State of Sardinia. He left Pietro in charge of the house, and Giacomo Beccaria in charge of his interests. The same day Filippo too was leaving Milan, as a volunteer in the mobilized National Guard.

From Lesa, on 5 August, Manzoni wrote to Vittoria:

‘Here news is slow to arrive, uncertain and contradictory. We scarcely know that Milan is free and on the defensive, that the king has entered with part of the army, and that the rest were on the way. Exactly what point the enemy have reached, we do not know. . . You can guess what is going on in my heart at this time, and it would be inopportune and pointless to talk of my anxieties. I'll say instead that both here, and from what one hears generally, from beyond the Ticino, there's bustle and agitation, but anything but sterile discouragement. I would almost say that faith in success has not even diminished, and this is a great good in itself, and a great presage of good.

‘My Vittoria, Matilde and Bista, you know with what love I press you to my heart.'

On that very day, Milan was surrendering to the Austrians.

Vittoria, Bista and Matilde were at Viareggio. Massimo d'Azeglio joined them. The Arconatis and Collegnos were there. Here they heard Milan had surrendered.

In September, the Giorginis went to the Baths at Lucca, as there was cholera in the town. Bista's sister, Giannina, and her fiancé went with them. Bista was translating Goethe's
Faust.
They went for long walks in the woods. It was a happy month, for Matilde and all of them.

Manzoni was invited to stand as a deputy in Turin. He expressed his thanks and refused. He wrote to Giorgio Briano, who had invited him to stand: ‘A
Utopian
and an irresolute man are two useless subjects, at least at a meeting where the discussions are meant to reach conclusions: I should be both at one and the same time.' He was asked to stand as a deputy at Arona; he received a great number of votes, thanked and refused: ‘In many cases, and especially the most important, the construction of my speech would be: I deny everything and propose nothing', he wrote, still to Giorgio Briano. ‘. . . Besides, there's something else. Speaking itself presents insuperable difficulties for me. The man you want to make a deputy stammers, not only in the metaphorical sense with his mind, but in the real, physical sense, so that he could not attempt to speak without putting the gravity of any assembly to the test: so in such a new and frightening situation, he would certainly get no further than attempting. I felt I could make these confessions frankly to you in private: when I have to write my letter of apology to the Chamber (since the College at Arona has been so cruelly kind to me) it will be a more complicated matter, since it is ridiculous to express certain ridiculous things in public'

He wrote to Vittoria:

‘You will have read in some paper, or heard from somebody, that the electors of Arona were so kind as to nominate me as a deputy; and you will have guessed at once that I excused myself.