The Last Night and Its Many Departures

This conflict-focused arc follows the intersecting departures of August 23, 1981, when Marco’s romantic beginning coincides with Irene’s death and his parents’ unexpected reunion.

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Plans Made Separately

Plans Made Separately A household without dinner The Carrera family has no prepared meal, and its members are occupied with separate plans. Probo and Letizia are heading to San Vincenzo, Marco is meeting Luisa, and Giacomo is nursing his rejection by her. Irene’s distress goes unseen Irene appears exhausted and listens to “Gloomy Sunday,” but the family reads her behavior through the habits of earlier crises. Each person leaves or turns away without recognizing how their plans intersect. The empty household forms the practical setting for the evening’s tragedy.

A Father’s Account of Chance

A Father’s Account of Chance The fatal fraction of a second Probo tells Letizia how a fraction of a second placed a falling bucket in Aldino’s path. He then recalls an earlier quarrel and wonders whether he had once wanted to kill his friend. A confession meets an audience Letizia listens with unusual tenderness and becomes attracted to the husband she thought she no longer desired. Probo’s willingness to reveal his fear changes the emotional direction of their evening. A reflection on an old death unexpectedly gives the couple a chance at closeness.

The Lovers at Baratti

The Lovers at Baratti A first meeting kept secret Marco and Luisa eat together in a place chosen for its beauty and their shared anticipation. Their youth and years of longing make the encounter feel like the fulfillment of a single enduring desire. A future imagined too quickly They believe their intimacy will continue, without knowing that Irene is in danger. Their happiness is genuine, but its timing ties it to the night the family will remember as a catastrophe. The scene places romantic fulfillment beside an event neither lover can see.

Irene Goes to the Water

Irene Goes to the Water A departure mistaken for an errand Irene tells the family she is going to secure the Vaurien. Marco is away; their parents and Giacomo do not stop her as she leaves the house. Death meets celebration Irene drowns at the coast while Marco and Luisa are experiencing their first night together and Probo and Letizia have found unexpected intimacy. Four members of the family are physically apart, each inside a different emotional state. The parallel lives of that evening make its tragedy feel both accidental and merciless.

A Night Becomes a Family Wound

A Night Becomes a Family Wound Happiness turns into guilt Marco’s new love is overshadowed by Irene’s death, and he blames himself for being elsewhere. The family’s simultaneous moments of pleasure become difficult to remember without remorse. Memory remains divided The event separates the family’s later accounts: Marco remembers where he was, Luisa remembers what she knew, and Giacomo carries a history neither brother understands. The summer becomes a source of blame that lasts decades. The conflict evolves from a death into a lasting struggle over what each survivor believes they should have done.

August 23, 1981, early evening in Bolgheri

That evening, on the road to San Vincenzo

That evening, at the Baratti coast

That night, at I Mulinelli

August 24, 1981, after the drowning is discovered