Rule reminder
In literary Italian, clefts may use fu/era (passato remoto/imperfetto of essere), chi as connector, and archaic word order. Understanding these variations is essential for B2+ reading comprehension.
From Alessandro Manzoni's style (19th c.): 'Fu in quella notte che Renzo prese la sua decisione.' 'Fu' is the passato remoto of essere. What does this signal in a literary cleft?