His marriage to the madly envious Elvira was tumultuous.
In 1908 the Puccinis returned from Cairo, Egypt to Torre del Lago.
Elvira suspected Doria Manfredi, a young servant from the village and
veteran employee of the Puccinis, of having an affair with her
husband. She threatened to kill Doria, who then ran away and poisoned
herself. An examination of the body, commissioned by the incensed
parents, found her virginity intact.
The Manfredis charged Elvira Puccini with persecution and calumny and
she was found guilty but used her husband's connections to avoid
sentencing. Puccini paid an undisclosed amount to the grieving family
and they withdrew their accusations. Elvira, blackmailed by her
husband, agreed to grant him full freedom - presumably, also
romantically.
http://opera.stanford.edu/Puccini/main.html
http://www.puccini.it/portale%20ing.htm
R
Revolution
Around 2800-2500 BC, Lagash and Umma were two Sumerian city-states
located 25 kilometers apart in today's territory of Iraq. Clay
cylinders and albast, copper and gold tablets found at the site
recount the story of the first revolution in human history: the people
rose and deposed officials who kept raising taxes but pocketed the
proceeds.
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