Cortina

Cortina serves as a place of respite and as a point of connection between Richard Cantwell and the Italian youths who own a duck-shooting ground in the marshes near the mouth of the Tagliamento River. Though the novel offers little physical description of the town, its mentions link it to military rest, hospitality, and Cantwell’s planned return to a familiar kind of outdoor life.

Rest and Reputation

During a drive, Ronald Jackson tells Cantwell that Burnham is at the rest centre in Cortina and praises the place. Cantwell recognizes the description, recalling its good food, competent management, and privacy. The brief exchange presents Cortina through the practical comforts of a place where personnel can rest without being disturbed, rather than through its scenery or landmarks.

Connection to the Duck Shoot

Cantwell invites the surgeon who has examined him to join a duck shoot in the marshes at the mouth of the Tagliamento River. He describes the grounds as belonging to Italian youths he met in Cortina, making the town part of the social history behind the outing, though not its location. The shoot promises real ducks, including mallards, pintails, and widgeon, and recalls the kind of shooting Cantwell associates with his youth at home.

Narrative Significance

Cortina appears in passing, but its two associations give it a distinct role in Cantwell’s world: it is both a place of orderly respite and the setting of an encounter that leads to an anticipated sporting excursion. These references also contrast the structured comfort of the rest centre with the open marshes where the shoot will take place. The novel’s sparse treatment leaves Cortina defined by what it makes possible—rest, acquaintance, and a renewed connection to familiar pursuits—rather than by an extended portrait of the town.