Browse Items (33 total)

Adriano Acquistucci (b. 1927) remembers the bombing of the San Lorenzo neighbourhood in Rome. Upon the arrival of the Allies on 4 June 1944 describes how some felt liberated and others occupied. Mentions one of his friends as having “a hammer and…

Rosanna Capretta (b. 1935) reminisces about the frightening sound of the sirens and describes how she and her family tried to cope by hugging each other in a corridor. Recalls food shortages, rationing cards, and black market. Describes disrupted…

Rita Patrignani (b. 1921) mentions wartime food shortages and stresses how she picked up what she found on the ground at the market . Describes the bombing of the San Lorenzo neighbourhood in Rome. Contrasts her impulse to dash to the nearest shelter…

Elena Fornari (b. 1936) mentions the private shelter in her house in Rome and describes daily life under bombing. Recollects the frightening encounter with two German soldiers asking for information about her father.

Silvana Zerbini (b. 1924) remembers the bombing of the San Lorenzo neighbourhood in Rome and the concern for her husband’s fate. She recalls the attempt to move her grandparents to a safer place out of the capital and remembers American troops…

Matilde Pontecorvi (b. 1910) gives an account of the bombing of Ciampino when she was travelling by tram and bombs started to explode around it. Recalls how she survived only because a priest told her to duck under the seats. Describes the appalling…

Silvana Morganti (b. 1924) recalls the bombing of the San Lorenzo neighbourhood in Rome, in which she describes the sight of dead people, a destroyed shelter, and children waiting for their dead mothers to return. Silvana also explains that she…

Maria Teresa Boazzelli describes the bombing of Frascati on 8 September 1943 and provides an account of life inside an improvised shelter: people praying and screaming after explosions. She explains how the Germans had been expecting the bombing and…