Milan. In little more than 36 hours, Milan has cornered the Habsburg eagle. Deprived of everything except civic pride and the dream of a united nation, its inhabitants have transformed into reckless warriors. Now more than ever, a strategy is needed, but where are the leaders of the revolt? The impression is one of confusion and chaos. At Casa Taverna are Cernuschi, Correnti, Manara, Casati, and Cattaneo. But they argue about everything. They don’t know that Venice is also rising that same day. Some are proposing establishing diplomatic relations with France and England, which could act as protectors. The rain outside is insistent. The lunar eclipse darkens the mood even further. Radetzky abandons his apartment on Via Brisa. He sends Colonel Festetics to collect his possessions, but the latter forgets to take Radetzky’s famous “trembling sword,” a witness to so many victories. In liberated Milan it will be donated by the insurgents to Cattaneo.
