During the 1931-32 season with the New York Philharmonic that the great conductor Arturo Toscanini developed a problem with his right arm that threatened to curtail his conducting career. American doctors could do nothing to resolve the problem and consequently the maestro was forced to abandon the season at the Phil.

In the meantime, however, Toscanini had heard of a homeopathic doctor back home who had earned himself a reputation for miracle cures. This was Alberto Rinaldi – like Toscanini an ardent anti-fascist and opponent of Il Duce Mussolini who was based in Piazze. In January 1932, Toscanini hitched up in Piazze to become a patient of Rinaldi, staying in the handsome mansion, which is today’s Locanda Toscanini.

The rest of the story is pure thriller. Rinaldi managed to cure Toscanini, restoring him to such good health that he fell in love with the girl next door, Gelsa Salvadori. Not surprisingly, the maestro was delighted with the place, returning regularly, even conducting the town band on occasion.

Alas, the story does not end happily ever after. In September 1935, Dr Rinaldi was beaten to death in the grounds of his Piazze home. The circumstances of his death remain mysterious but there are good reasons for believing the man who was sentenced for his killing, Leopoldo Moretti, might have been a fascist agent. (Curiously, Moretti was let out of prison early during the second World War, but somehow had funds enough to move himself and his family to Brazil, where he opened up a Fiat dealership.

From a travel article by Paddy Agnew - Irish Times July 18th 2009.