His Portrait When He Was Young Summary

Alessandro rides on horseback from Bologna to Rome in October 1914 to visit his parents. He is met at the door by his hushed mother who tells him his father, the attorney Giuliani, is sick and must remain in bed for a month. His parents wonder if he has been expelled but he tells them the university is temporarily closed because of the war. Alessandro tells his parents he plans to take the train to Munich to see Raphael's portrait of Bindo Altoviti,a famous masterpiece. There is only one seat available on the train—a shared compartment with an unnamed traveler. He takes the ticket and in Venice a tall, red-haired Irishwoman boards and takes her place next to him in the compartment. She introduces herself as Janet McCafrey. When she asks...