Do you believe that every story must have a beginning and an end? In ancient times a story could end only in two ways: having passed all the tests, t… - Italo Calvino

The ultimate meaning to which all stories refer has two faces: the continuity of life, the inevitability of death.

The city, however, does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand

A description of Zaira as it is today should contain all Zaira’s past. The city, however, does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the gratings of the windows, the banisters of the steps, the antennae of the lightning rods, the poles of the flags, every segment marked in turn with scratches, indentations, scrolls.

As this wave from memories flows in, the city soaks it up like a sponge and expands. (di quest'onda che rifluisce dai ricordi la città s'imbeve coma una spugna e si dilata). The city, however, does not tell of its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand...