November 12 Thursday – At the Villa Reale di Quarto Sam wrote to Countess Frances R. Massiglia.
I wish to ask permission to put in 3 or 4 “pigs;” in case it shall finally seem desirable to have them. Also I wish to ask leave to remove the annunciator to the ground floor, if you have no objections,—or put another annunciator down there, if these excursions into the unknown shall not turn out to be over-formidable & indiscreet [MTP].
Sam also wrote a PS to his Nov. 11 to H.H.Rogers. [MTHHR 541-2].
P.S. Next day—Nov. 12.
The fact is, the place improves. This is a brilliant late-September morning, with a prodigality of sunshine stimulating air not findable elsewhere outside of heaven. And certainly the grounds would satisfy Adam himself. Which is well; for Mrs. Clemens was sent to Italy that she might live out-doors.
Luscher gives an interview by Carlo Paladini, Italian journalist, which was published this day in the Corriere Della Sera, and dates the interview between Nov. 7 and 9 at the Hotel Pace. Luscher writes:
The interview exhibits Twain in a very jubilant mood, bantering freely with Paladini and engaging, at times, in self-consciously quotable utterance. ….
The interview is essentially an impromptu conversation; after spotting “the Prince of American Humorists” in a crowd, Paladini attaches himself to Twain, walks with him to the hotel, and sits down for a chat…. Twain is very tolerant of Paladini’s questions and responds well to his “one journalist to another” candor and informal manner. Loosed from the confines of what Paladini calls “the customary interrogation,” Twain expands on a variety of topics: he jokes about his political aspirations, pokes fun at billionaire friends who gave him a farewell banquet, offers some ideas about art, and expresses his distaste for Machiavelli [216-17].
Note: Evidently Twain bore a striking resemblance to Professor Antonio Borzí, and so questioned Paladini on the meaning of the word “borsi,” unaware that Italians were referring to the professor.
Luscher provides the full translated text of the interview p.218-21.