1991, the encounter with MatildeIt was June when Marco entered the auditorium of the “Marco Fanno” Institute in Conegliano. In a few minutes the open competition for the assignment of ten positions as Italian teacher in the Treviso province would commence. He was one of the last to enter, there were at least fifty people already sitting, waiting for the exam to begin. He walked toward his desk, number thirty-six, and as he sat down he noticed that the one next to his, number thirty-seven, was still empty. Just then a girl with long, straight blond hair arrived, almost running, and took her place there.
The exam was based on topics that the girl had studied well, so she finished quickly.
Marco instead was a bit disappointed: he had hoped that the exam would focus on a more general topic,
