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Prisoners of war volunteer to defuse a bomb
People are held back outside the gate of a walled yard as a trolley carrying an unexploded bomb is pulled by five men, four dressed in green and one in a white shirt with the colours of the Italian flag. A young boy has climbed a column just outside…
Pippo bombs San Giorgio di Nogaro
On a clear, moon-lit night, an aircraft with a British roundel bombs a street causing the roofs of buildings on either side to burst into flames. Incendiaries are burning while debris is falling onto the street among small explosions. In the…
Interview with Tullio Magnani
Tullio Magnani remembers his wartime years in the Pavia province. Although his father was blacklisted as a subversive communist, he did not have any trouble at school. He recounted his role as a young resistance helper smuggling food rationing…
Interview with three survivors of the Po valley bombings
The group remembers wartime hardships endured near Pavia and Piacenza. They recalled several stories, such as a farmhouse being thoroughly searched for partisans; children questioned; people injured by shell splinters; a makeshift dugout used as…
Interview with Teresa Messali
Teresa Messali gives a brief account of pre-war life with her large family in a farmhouse near Bergamo. She mentions Pippo; describes the pressing need to find shelter during the bombings and tells how she frequently resorted to ditches. Teresa…
Interview with Stefania Vischi
Stefania Vischi recalls her wartime life in the Monfalcone area and recalls how she spent long hours alone inside a shelter, frightened by explosions and tremors. She contrasts the horror of being at the receiving end of the bombing war and the…
Interview with Sara Ventriglia
Sara Ventriglia, the daughter of a Jewish mother and a Catholic father, recalls her early life in wartime Milan. She describes the alarm being sounded and she and her family getting quickly dressed to reach a nearby shelter. She recollects moments…
Interview with Sandro Boiocchi
Sandro Boiocchi remembers wartime memories at Travacò, in the Pavia area and mentions various episodes: food shortages; the black market; fascist and German roundups; Pippo flying at night; bombing of bridges; giving shelter to evacuees. He explains…
Interview with Rosanna Giungi
Rosanna Giungi (b. 1933) describes how Pippo disrupted daily life in wartime, especially affecting those close to the Modena-Brennero and Modena-Verona railway lines. She reminisces about the sight of Germany-bound trains packed with people…
Interview with Rinaldo Sarani
Rinaldo Sarani tells of the bombings of Pavia describing widespread damage at Borgo Ticino and people being extricated from rubble. He stresses the importance of bridges: Ponte della Ferrovia, Ponte Vecchio, Ponte dell’Impero, Ponte della Becca, and…
Interview with Pietro Varesi
Pietro Varesi describes wartime life in Pavia, focussing on the Borgo neighbourhood. He mentions the Ticino bridges as primary targets for bombers; recalls bent shop shutters and debris on the streets; stresses the limited accuracy of bombing and the…
Interview with Piero Fiorot
Piero Fiorot reminisces about his pre-war life in Sacile: schooling; fascist paramilitary training and indoctrination; curfews; rationing; and doing business in a tightly controlled, closed economic system. He contrasts the relatively tranquil life…
Interview with Paola Giorgina Pasini
Paola Giorgina Pasini provides details of her early life in a family of agricultural workers and favourably compares their conditions with those living in urban areas. She recalls the ominous sight of target indicators and flares and remembers…
Interview with Marta Papotti
Marta Papotti (b. 1937) remembers the bombings of Turin and how she and her family dashed to the shelter in the basement. She recalls the sense of community and describes people reciting the rosary or just chatting. She describes how her father, the…
Interview with Marisa Bianchi
Marisa Bianchi remembers her wartime years at Sesso, a rural hamlet in the Reggio Emilia province. She talks about the abundance of locally farmed food and emphasises how billeted German troops were friendly and supportive, even if she and her family…
Interview with Mario Galardini
L’intervistato è Mario Galardini, nato a Castel di Casio (BO) il 15 agosto 1923, consulente del lavoro. Interviene il fratello Raffaello, sono presenti Lory Galardini e Annalia Galardini. L’intervista è effettuata da Claudio Rosati presso la sua…
Interview with Mario Commisso
Mario Commisso remembers his early years when he lived in the Codroipo area, close to the Rivolto air base. He recalls his brother being born on 28 February 1941, during a severe bombing raid during which the bombers were attacked by anti-aircraft…
Interview with Marialuigia Buffadossi
Marialuigia Buffadossi remembers her wartime life in the Lombardy region. Born in a low-class neighbourhood with poor-quality housing, she first worked as a shorthand clerk for a solicitor and was then employed by a major bank. She remembers her…
Interview with Maria Malagni
Maria Malagni (b. 1921) remembers her difficult childhood and chequered schooling history. She recalls wartime episodes: the death of her fiancé, an airman shot down over Brindisi; fascists seizing supplies; the capture of two partisans that her…
Interview with Marco Pederielli
Marco Pederielli describes his father’s career as a Regia Aeronautica officer, providing details of his service in North Africa. He describes his personal situation after the fall of the Fascist regime, when he, reluctantly, joined the Aeronautica…
Interview with Luigi Cabrini
Luigi Cabrini describes his daily life in a rural community, stressing the labour-intensive nature of farming in wartime. He tells of Pippo bombing at night and reminisces about an interrupted schooling history in Pavia and Voghera, due to strafing,…
Interview with Livio Ponte
Livio Ponte remembers his wartime life in Monfalcone. He describes the frightening moments when the alarm sounded, usually at night, and people rushed to the shelters for safety. He mentions different attitudes: his parents going to a shelter whereas…