Carlo Felice Manara, la congettura di Chisini e la geometria dei sistemi lineari

The author remembers Carlo Felice Manara in the period ranging from the late Sixties to the early Eighties through memories of his apprenticeship. The paper describes some ideas about multiple planes and their branch curves, this being the main theme addressed by Chisini and his School in Milan, where Manara was a prominent figure. The discussion includes an outline of recent developements and an attempt to put the subject in the general framework of the geometry of linear systems.