How would you interpret the word ‘smistimento’ in the context?
I think it’s a typo. It should be ‘smistamento’, an Italian word meaning sorting.
What do you think?

Thanks. It’s from A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (Chapter Seven).

the context:

I came back the next afternoon from our first mountain post and stopped the car at the smistimento where the wounded and sick were sorted by their papers and the papers marked for the different hospitals. I had been driving and I sat in the car and the driver took the papers in. It was a hot day and the sky was very bright and blue and the road was white and dusty. I sat in the high seat of the Fiat and thought about nothing.

Question

How would you interpret the word ‘smistimento’ in the context?
I think it’s a typo. It should be ‘smistamento’, an Italian word meaning sorting.
What do you think?

Thanks. It’s from A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (Chapter Seven).

the context:

I came back the next afternoon from our first mountain post and stopped the car at the smistimento where the wounded and sick were sorted by their papers and the papers marked for the different hospitals. I had been driving and I sat in the car and the driver took the papers in. It was a hot day and the sky was very bright and blue and the road was white and dusty. I sat in the high seat of the Fiat and thought about nothing.

Answer

I agree with you that it should be "smistamento", referring to the place where wounded soldiers are sorted and sent to different hospitals. A native English speaker would definitely not know this word (unless they also spoke Italian), and would understand it from the context, as you did.

I hope you're enjoying the book -- it's a wonderful story! Hemingway is one of my favorite authors.

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