WAR STORIES

1.What's your name? My name is Maria T.

2.When the war started, where were you?

I was born in '39. I was lucky enough to still have a year of peace here in Italy. I

had everything from my parents, I was cuddled: my dad took me to Piazza Carlo

Felice and (my mother) dress me in clothes that she packaged herself. They

treated me like a queen, I was really lucky to have this moment of peace!

Unfortunately, in the '40s Italy entered into the war, and then my childhood totally

changed. I remember a strong bombardment in Turin: there was really a surprise

and then we did not get to the shelter. There were meadows, before reaching.

Unfortunately, that day, a beautiful sunny day, one afternoon, my dad was at

work, he worked at the Riv in Turin in Via Nizza, and mom has not had time to

take us to the shelter, so we were almost alone because for the most part had

already arrived there, so my mum get down me and my brother and she protected

we like a shield. At any rate, Torino had been bombed at that moment, on that day

there and then we were lucky that between a bomb and the other we are saved,

after all.

3.How old were you during the 2 WW?

One year on 14 July.

4.Did you lost some relatives or friends during this period?

No, but I remember two moments in particular related to that period: I remember

that there was a lot of brotherhood, indeed, among us, because the first who

understood that there was danger and they had to get ready to go to the shelter,

especially if it was at night, remember that you knocked the wall of the bedroom

that adjoined the other bedroom, or on the other hand, yes, on the other hand,

both from the left and from the right side of other people were staying, so we

were all for one another, we were all, did compete to give us a hand, so I've been

picked her up at times by people who did not know ... in the same house, among

other things, my godmother lived, then there was also that she was helping my

mother in those moments. Then we had a dog, beautiful, fighter, was very smart

, he felt even before that, we felt even before the warning signal that he said it on

the radio, autumn, autumn Turin city, he said, and he already pointed out before us,

and then, my mother saw as the Leda, so-called, which wagged his tail and went

back and forth to the balcony, we had a long balcony, this balcony we were four

families, so then my mom warned us that it was necessary to protect themselves

and therefore, already almost always ready because you went to sleep almost as

well dressed and then was in a hurry to get dressed, and go. Even the night that the

dog ... I followed the dog, followed Leda Leda, and turned around to see if I was

following him and my mom followed me with my little brother in her arms.

5.Immediately after the war, how was life in Italy?

I did all the years of the colony. In 1950 I was in Marina di Massa. I was eleven

years old and on a Sunday there was a visiting engineer Bertolone, who came to see

how we were placed. (Q.: Leaders of that company?) Fiat, the Riv, especially

those of the Riv, it was they who came to see how you spent your day. Mr.

Bertolone calls me and asked: " How are you here?" "Good," and the engineer: "I

would like to stay a month here?" To which I was a bit ' surprise because, yes, I

said fine, but of course I missed the parents, they wrote me but very little,

(laughter), so I missed my mom and my dad. (Q.: Phone ?) E, no, the phone does

not exist yet! So I received only a few postcards, yes, a few postcards come, but

right now ... The mail was as recruits expect messages of the cards but I just came.

However,.. (Q.: Upon returning home, what happened?) I said, " Yes, thank you,

engineer," and I stopped. I did among other things, the beds with the cooks, who

among other things in those three days I was without ... I do not even know what

team I belonged to then because I remained there! And then I was left with the cooks

that I have cared for and I helped them to make the rooms, all rooms have the beds

made ??, etc., then I helped them. On the way back, what ' was the surprise?

Why my dad had asked the customer service department to keep me a month?

The surprise was that that day was born my brother Enrico.

However, those two months there, all the times that my brother's birthday, I

always tell him: "Look, because of you I was two months! " (Smiles).

Interview made by Alessia Bruni, EVS volunteer from Italy