And the position here called ‘commissioner’ is, in the Italian, questore. Page 15 – ‘zampironi’ – Coils or sticks of compressed pyrethrum powder which burn slowly when lit, used chiefly against mosquitoes. They are named after their creator, Giovan Battista Zampironi. Famous for its mosquito problem in the summertime, Florence to this day abounds with zampironi, despite their questionable efficacy. Page 55 – ‘Doctor Morozzi’ – In Italy, anyone with a university degree is considered a ‘doctor.’ Page 60 – ‘panzanella’ – Moistened bread seasoned with oil, vinegar and herbs. Page 60 – ‘descriptions of faces reduced to pulp by sawn-off shotguns and of goat-tied bodies’ – ‘Goat-tied’ is my translation of the term incaprettato, which incorporates the word for goat, capra, and refers to a particularly cruel method of execution used by the Mafia, where the victim, placed face down, has a rope looped round his neck and then tied to his feet, which are raised behind his back as in hog-tying.
