La volpe di Sparta

In a bustling Milanese haberdashery, the elegant Vittorina Ornavati arrives with a precise mission: to locate the dependable salesman known as Baganella, whose taste and discretion have earned her trust. Her husband, Celso, drifts through the shop, a dabbler in art and philosophy who smokes incessantly, offering little help but a cascade of Wildean aphorisms. The shop itself hums with silk threads and whispered negotiations, framing a portrait of early‑twentieth‑century middle‑class life.

When the manager gestures toward a tall, blond clerk named Filippeschi, Vittorina feels an unexpected stir; his immaculate attire and icy gaze seem to belong to a different world altogether. Though she recognizes no personal connection, his presence unsettles her, hinting at hidden motives beneath the shop’s polished façade. As she contemplates the uneasy meeting, the narrative promises a delicate dance of desire, social expectation, and the subtle power games that pulse through Milan’s commercial heart.