In 1880s Marvellous Melbourne, at La Signora X’s
bordello on Crossley Lane beside current day
Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, a young Sicilian woman,
working under the name Sapphire, meets and falls
in love with an Italian artist.
Meanwhile, Ricciotti, a labourer and family man
whose station in life belies a powerful family
heritage, is suffering from sleep deprivation due to
the city’s extended heatwave. He discovers a
soothing antidote.
Set over a single summer’s day and night, Marisa
Fazio’s beguiling and lyrical novella, Piazza
Garibaldi, will forever refresh the way you see
Melbourne, Italy and colonialism.