Santa Maria Annunziata Hospital

Santa Maria Annunziata Hospital is the chosen setting for the water birth of Miraijin, Adele’s daughter and the child Marco comes to regard as the “Man of the Future.” The hospital matters less as an institution than as the fixed point in Adele’s carefully decided birth plan, which Marco ultimately accepts and shares with her.

Place in the Birth Plan

Adele has already determined that her child will be born in water, with a midwife named Norma, at Santa Maria Annunziata Hospital. The choice rules out Careggi Hospital, despite Marco’s ability to secure privileges there. Adele’s plan also fixes the child’s name, Miraijin, in advance; she explains its meaning and origin to Marco while he prepares to become a father again.

The Birth

On October 20, 2010, Marco joins Adele in the hospital’s water birth. At her request, he sits in the tub with her during labor and delivery, alongside Norma. The birth proceeds more quickly and appears less difficult than Marco had expected from his experience of Marina’s much longer labor. Rather than feeling like an uncertain observer, he finds that he can support Adele and take part in the event.

Family and Narrative Significance

The water briefly holds Marco, Adele, and the newborn Miraijin together. Marco experiences that interval as the most enlightened period of his life and describes it as his only happy family experience. Santa Maria Annunziata Hospital is thus tied to a decisive change in his relationship with fatherhood: he follows Adele’s wishes, accepts a role he had considered with uncertainty, and discovers that participation can make him feel useful and close to his daughter. The birth setting anchors this moment of shared life, which becomes especially significant against the later losses that reshape the family.