‘ There was a time that you could drink the water. Now it’s polluted by all the industry in Milan. And the old bridge that the Germans blew up in their retreat. After the war they put up a modern imitation – and it’s another thirty metres downstream. But at night, you know, with the current running fast and the city lights reflected in the water, it’s almost as it was before the war. This was a beautiful city once, you know…’