Translated into English by Aimee Van Vliet Dissolving the CIL Upon their arrival at the meeting point south of Macerata, the Italian soldiers were met with the news that the CIL was being disbanded. General Browning, the head of the Allied Forces Control Subcommittee, paid them a visit in person Continue Reading
English
9. Along the Adriatic
Translated into English by Aimee Van Vliet A train journey The first time I left home with no intention of returning, or at least not immediately, was with my grandpa. Rovigo is a small, quiet town, which seems to have been asleep since the beginning of time, while the world Continue Reading
8. On the Gustav line
Translated into English by Aimee Van Vliet Rest in Fornelli The XXXIII Bersaglieri Battalion was not the only Italian unit to join the First Motorised Grouping on the front line at Cassino in February 1944. They were joined by the 1st Battalion “Arditi”, the 68th Infantry Regiment, the 51st Engineers Continue Reading
7. The road to Cassino
Translated into English by Aimee Van Vliet. The end of fighting in Corsica left my grandpa and his men in limbo, immobile and abandoned, in a delirious purgatory of hunger and memories of the violence they had just experienced. I have often wondered what must have been going through his Continue Reading
6. Intermezzo fotografico / Photographic intermission
Il confinamento causato da Covid-19 ha portato con sé almeno una buona notizia. I miei genitori, ripulendo a fondo casa, si sono imbattuti in una cartella con svariate foto di mio nonno, fortunosamente sopravvissute a diversi traslochi, alla morte dei miei nonni ed al passare del tempo. Ho passato quindi Continue Reading
5. Baptism of fire
Translated into English by Aimee Van Vliet. The valley unfurled beneath him, squeezed between two high walls of rock as if the mountain had been cut into, leaving a jagged wound. Trees growing on the terrain clung to the rock, their stubborn roots grasping at a precarious balance. But as Continue Reading
4. The occupation of Corsica
I picture my grandpa sitting on the ship that is taking him to Corsica. It’s a cold November morning, clouds darken the sky and the sea is a grey and choppy desert. Several soldiers move around him. Each of them tries to fight fear in a different way: some clean Continue Reading
3. Preparing for war
Sooner or later life takes youth away from us, like a blanket held on for too long on an autumn morning. My grandpa had to face this moment alone, crushed by the inevitability of war. I, on the other hand, always had him on my side. And in far less Continue Reading
2. The dawn of fascism
I remember my grandpa’s broad shoulders rocking over his bicycle, as I was cycling behind him on the road linking Ariano to Adria. It was a bright summer day, with no clouds nor wind, which was crushing Polesine, the province of my hometown Rovigo, under a red-hot sun. The afternoon Continue Reading
1. One evening in Danzig
I got to Danzig almost by chance, on the last day of August 2019, while on holiday with my partner. The city, which she suggested visiting, struck me for its beauty and unusual architecture. Its Nordic buildings give it a distinctive Scandinavian vibe, whereas its bars and restaurants are teaming Continue Reading