Questions About Italy

If culture is a secular religion, then I guess you could say we are on pilgrimage among the shrines of Verdi country (we could paint a 747 on the outside wall of our house in Palookaville, like Egyptians do after they make the Haj). Meanwhile, two question:

One, why did Verdi move back to Busseto when he could have settled in Milan, Paris, Rome? One has to conclude (not so?) that he really enjoyed quarreling.

And two, who paid for rebuilding the cultural infrastructure of Parma? It's a projection of state power in a country that was too poor for that sort of thing. Do I smell the CIA?

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