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Interview with Adriano Landini
Adriano Landini (b. 1930) recalls his childhood living in the poor neighbourhood of Santa Croce in Reggio Emilia. He describes the profound sense of solidarity during wartime, stressing the community spirit among the so-called ‘popol giost’ (the…
Interview with Anna Maria Serafini
Anna Maria Serafini recalls her teenage life in Bologna as the fiancée of Luigi Pasetti, a civilian pilot later enlisted as torpedo bomber pilot. She describes how she got married and mentions Italian First World War pilot, Ferruccio Ranza, who…
Interview with Annunciata Buffadossi
Annunciata Buffadossi recollects her wartime life in Milan. Annunciata describes poor-quality housing in a low-class neighbourhood close to potential targets; emphasises how much she feared Germans and Fascists; and speaks with affection of her old…
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 Paolo Racugno
Paolo Racugno (b. 1917), recollects the February 1943 Cagliari bombing. He mentions scenes of destruction with wounded civilians and describes how he used his coat to protect two girls from falling debris.
Interview with Maurizio Ghiretti
Maurizio Ghiretti describes his early life at Monticelli Terme, a small town near Parma. He remembers various episodes of wartime hardships: food shortages; a tree taken down at night for firewood; men hiding in concealed rooms to avoid roundups; and…
Interview with Guido Dell’Era
Guido Dell’Era recollects daily life in wartime Milan, stressing inadequate war preparation. He describes a disciplined, regimented society which later turned to disillusionment. He recollects the declaration of war, the fall of the fascist regime…
Interview with a survivor of the Karigador bombing
The interviewee recalls the day when he and his cousin plundered a ship with a cargo of furniture, clothing and foodstuffs, which was moored at Karigador. He describes how the harbour was suddenly bombed and strafed. He recalls how they hid behind a…
Interview with Angela Bianchi
Angela Bianchi remembers wartime life in the outskirts of Pavia, where she lived on a farm with other families. She recalls her experiences of being bombed while working in a clothes factory, situated close to one of the most important Ticino…
Interview with Adriana Ventriglia
Adriana Ventriglia remembers the bombings of Milan. She talks about her evacuee life in the Lodi countryside and describes how her father was injured in a train strafing. She mentions her early life in a mixed family, the impact on anti-Semitic laws,…
Interview with Federico Martinotti
Federico Martinotti reminisces over the Pavia bombing on the 26 September 1944, describes the effects on the buildings near the Ticino River (the old bridge being the aiming point of the attack), mentions the salvaging of valuable items from the…
Interview with Gualtiero Silvio Cosolo
Gualtiero Silvio Cosolo recalls attending the Ceriani vocational school in Monfalcone, and every day at the same time the air raid siren went off and the children would run to the nearest shelter. He describes the bombing of 7 March 1944 and the…
Interview with Mario Miniussi
Mario Miniussi recalls Monfalcone night bombing on 18 March 1944. He was sleeping when the siren sounded and then saw the bombs falling on the shipyard, causing explosions and fires. He remembers how he was normally at school during alarms, so he and…
Interview with Pietro Cosma
Pietro Cosma (b. 1927) remembers the bombings of Milan and recollects two wartime incidents: the execution of a man in front of his home and Benito Mussolini’s corpse on public display in Piazzale Loreto. He describes wartime hardships: losses;…
Interview with Tino Luparia
Tino Luparia (b. 1930) chronicles the first daylight bombing of Turin which was aimed at the SPA industries, which was then a defence contractor. He describes the effects of a massive, unexploded bomb which pierced all floors of a building and…
Interview with Antonio Bozzetti
Antonio Bozzetti (b. 1924) remembers his efforts to dodge fascist paramilitary service and tells how he avoided being enlisted because he had a reserved occupation in a factory, working for the Germans. He describes how he witnessed all Milan…
Interview with Santina Colombo
Santina Colombo describes her early life in a family of farmers and says that her father was a fervent socialist. She recalls the start of war being announced on the radio and gives a detailed account of civilian life in wartime Milan: scarce food;…
Interview with Paolo Vivoda
Paolo Vivoda remembers a bombing attack which started moments before the stage show of magician Delfo, during which his mother barely made it to the shelter and was injured; others died. Paolo lost contact with his parents, but was reunited with them…
Interview with Angelo Bencina
Angelo Bencina recalls wartime memories in Monfalcone: a cave being modified as a shelter; the descent of bright red and white target indicators at night; a bomb which narrowly missed him but did not explode; Window radio countermeasures being…
Interview with Marina Zucco
Marina Zucco recalls wartime memories in Monfalcone: how her father rented a flat conveniently located above a shelter, in which they remained for hours eating food they had brought from home; the day the “all clear” sounded, immediately before a…
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 Vittorio Finauri
Vittorio Finauri (b. 1931) remembers the first bombing of Foligno on 22 November 1943, which was completely unexpected, and how people were caught unprepared, so, bombs aimed at nearby barracks, resulted in a heavy death toll. He describes how some…
Interview with Efrem Colombi
Efrem Colombi recalls his care-free childhood, initially in the Bergamo countryside and then in Milan. He emphasises his life-long, radical, anti-Clericalism and recounts how he ran away several times from Catholic boarding schools due to his…
Interview with Osvaldo Gramegna
Osvaldo Gramegna (b. 1937) remembers the bombings of Turin. He tells of civilians initially fleeing along the railway during alarms and explains how, in hindsight, it was foolish behaviour. He recalls his evacuee life at Casalgrasso: ineffective…
Interview with Umberto Veroli
Umberto Veroli (b. 1933) recollects wartime memories, such as when his father was an electrical engineer: living close to power substations; a kitten killed by an electric arc; Germans forcing workers to remove transformers and smash meters. He…