The Exile's Palette The life of Ignacio Manzoni began in Milan, where the formal discipline of the Accademia de Brera shaped his early understanding of form and light. His path, however, was dictated by the turbulence of the First Italian War of Independence. After fighting against the Austrians, he found himself in exile in Switzerland, a period of displacement that preceded a much longer departure from his homeland. Rumors of a compl…