en:
  francesco-bertacchini:
    chapter-3:
      c: 3
      title: Searching for the partisans
      subtitles:
        sequence-1:
          s: 1
          from: 00:00:00,13
          to: 00:00:08,10
          text: By that time Dalmazia Street and Dante Zanichelli Street became
        sequence-2:
          s: 2
          from: 00:00:08,11
          to: 00:00:11,28
          text: something like an island
        sequence-3:
          s: 3
          from: 00:00:11,29
          to: 00:00:16,06
          text: because everybody went to stay outside the city centre
        sequence-4:
          s: 4
          from: 00:00:16,07
          to: 00:00:20,06
          text: where there were continuous bombings.
        sequence-5:
          s: 5
          from: 00:00:20,07
          to: 00:00:27,06
          text: One evening I, Armando and Orvillo,
        sequence-6:
          s: 6
          from: 00:00:27,07
          to: 00:00:36,05
          text: the one on the picture, met outside the Ariosto Theatre
        sequence-7:
          s: 7
          from: 00:00:36,06
          to: 00:00:41,21
          text: at 8 o'clock because it was curfew time
        sequence-8:
          s: 8
          from: 00:00:41,22
          to: 00:00:45,11
          text: and then we went here and there.
        sequence-9:
          s: 9
          from: 00:00:45,12
          to: 00:00:53,20
          text: We made friends with the guard of the GIL, who was called Bonacini.
        sequence-10:
          s: 10
          from: 00:00:56,26
          to: 00:01:02,27
          text: Orvillo, our third friend but more a brother to us
        sequence-11:
          s: 11
          from: 00:01:02,28
          to: 00:01:06,25
          text: was working as a driver for the GIL.
        sequence-12:
          s: 12
          from: 00:01:06,26
          to: 00:01:15,21
          text: So we made friends and at night during the curfew
        sequence-13:
          s: 13
          from: 00:01:15,22
          to: 00:01:22,03
          text: we went to the GIL to spend the night, play games,
        sequence-14:
          s: 14
          from: 00:01:22,04
          to: 00:01:27,21
          text: stay with friends and no-one would bother us,
        sequence-15:
          s: 15
          from: 00:01:27,22
          to: 00:01:33,11
          text: despite the fact that it was turning into barracks.
        sequence-16:
          s: 16
          from: 00:01:33,12
          to: 00:01:42,00
          text: In those barracks there were no Black Brigades but Green Flames instead.
        sequence-17:
          s: 17
          from: 00:01:42,01
          to: 00:01:49,13
          text: They called the young fascists a name that I now can't remember.
        sequence-18:
          s: 18
          from: 00:01:49,14
          to: 00:01:54,29
          text: It were their barracks but they had to let us stay
        sequence-19:
          s: 19
          from: 00:01:55,00
          to: 00:01:58,09
          text: because they knew we were going to Felice's place.
        sequence-20:
          s: 20
          from: 00:01:58,10
          to: 00:02:04,03
          text: He, poor man, was living there as a guard, and nobody ever went there.
        sequence-21:
          s: 21
          from: 00:02:04,04
          to: 00:02:12,03
          text: We were staying there until midnight, then we slowly walked across
            the river
        sequence-22:
          s: 22
          from: 00:02:12,04
          to: 00:02:18,28
          text: and went home without the fear that a group of fascists would get
            us.
        sequence-23:
          s: 23
          from: 00:02:20,02
          to: 00:02:27,16
          text: 'One day Armando''s uncle told us:'
        sequence-24:
          s: 24
          from: 00:02:27,17
          to: 00:02:37,21
          text: "\"Guys, if you want to go and take a look where the rebels stay,"
        sequence-25:
          s: 25
          from: 00:02:37,22
          to: 00:02:40,22
          text: I can tell you the way".
        sequence-26:
          s: 26
          from: 00:02:40,23
          to: 00:02:46,16
          text: We were sceptical at the beginning,
        sequence-27:
          s: 27
          from: 00:02:46,17
          to: 00:02:53,03
          text: there were news that the fascists went for a roundup in the mountains,
        sequence-28:
          s: 28
          from: 00:02:53,04
          to: 00:02:57,21
          text: that they had found the rebels, and that they'd done this and that
            ...
        sequence-29:
          s: 29
          from: 00:02:57,22
          to: 00:03:09,28
          text: We were growing up and getting more upset,
        sequence-30:
          s: 30
          from: 00:03:09,29
          to: 00:03:16,13
          text: we thought we were capable of somehow bothering those fascist.
        sequence-31:
          s: 31
          from: 00:03:16,14
          to: 00:03:22,19
          text: So we decided to go
        sequence-32:
          s: 32
          from: 00:03:22,20
          to: 00:03:27,13
          text: but we always postponed it
        sequence-33:
          s: 33
          from: 00:03:27,14
          to: 00:03:32,03
          text: because the rumours were many but nothing happened.
        sequence-34:
          s: 34
          from: 00:03:32,04
          to: 00:03:40,21
          text: One Sunday we went to Pancio's uncle who told us the way.
        sequence-35:
          s: 35
          from: 00:03:40,22
          to: 00:03:44,25
          text: It was really hard
        sequence-36:
          s: 36
          from: 00:03:44,26
          to: 00:03:51,16
          text: because he told us to go to Sole di Vetto
        sequence-37:
          s: 37
          from: 00:03:51,17
          to: 00:03:57,23
          text: where a wood-seller was staying.
        sequence-38:
          s: 38
          from: 00:03:57,24
          to: 00:04:09,06
          text: He told us that the road up was safe and free.
        sequence-39:
          s: 39
          from: 00:04:09,07
          to: 00:04:14,11
          text: We could go there and then that guy would introduce us to the rebels.
        sequence-40:
          s: 40
          from: 00:04:14,12
          to: 00:04:20,18
          text: But it was a flop instead because when we reached Compiano,
        sequence-41:
          s: 41
          from: 00:04:20,19
          to: 00:04:25,22
          text: we met a patrol that was checking the road
        sequence-42:
          s: 42
          from: 00:04:25,23
          to: 00:04:29,11
          text: and we had to hide on the other shore of the river.
        sequence-43:
          s: 43
          from: 00:04:29,12
          to: 00:04:31,17
          text: We found ourselves in Scurano
        sequence-44:
          s: 44
          from: 00:04:31,18
          to: 00:04:43,17
          text: and then there we had to give up our plan to go to the mountains.
        sequence-45:
          s: 45
          from: 00:04:43,18
          to: 00:04:50,18
          text: We went for a trip but in the end it wasn't even a trip.
        sequence-46:
          s: 46
          from: 00:04:50,19
          to: 00:04:56,00
          text: It ended up being a terrible mess.
        sequence-47:
          s: 47
          from: 00:04:56,01
          to: 00:05:05,24
          text: When we arrived we had no money, no stuff and no one to help us.
        sequence-48:
          s: 48
          from: 00:05:07,08
          to: 00:05:17,24
          text: So we left the bicycle there in Compiano
        sequence-49:
          s: 49
          from: 00:05:20,23
          to: 00:05:29,10
          text: and arriving at Buvolo we saw many people sitting on the bridge.
        sequence-50:
          s: 50
          from: 00:05:31,05
          to: 00:05:38,17
          text: 'We looked at each other and said: "Those are not people, those are
            soldiers or fascists".'
        sequence-51:
          s: 51
          from: 00:05:38,18
          to: 00:05:48,04
          text: In fact one of them jumped up and came to talk to us,
        sequence-52:
          s: 52
          from: 00:05:48,05
          to: 00:05:52,28
          text: but we just turned around without much fuss
        sequence-53:
          s: 53
          from: 00:05:52,29
          to: 00:06:00,11
          text: and walked down to the river Enza, passed the river and walked to
            Scurano.
        sequence-54:
          s: 54
          from: 00:06:00,12
          to: 00:06:06,10
          text: When we approached the village, we noticed a lot of people fleeing.
        sequence-55:
          s: 55
          from: 00:06:06,11
          to: 00:06:08,23
          text: 'So we asked: "What happened?"'
        sequence-56:
          s: 56
          from: 00:06:08,24
          to: 00:06:12,11
          text: 'And they said: "The Germans have come!"'
        sequence-57:
          s: 57
          from: 00:06:12,12
          to: 00:06:17,04
          text: Oh, shit! We asked a man standing around
        sequence-58:
          s: 58
          from: 00:06:17,05
          to: 00:06:22,16
          text: 'which was the safest way and he said: "I am going to the cemetery".'
        sequence-59:
          s: 59
          from: 00:06:22,17
          to: 00:06:26,09
          text: So we went there, too.
        sequence-60:
          s: 60
          from: 00:06:26,10
          to: 00:06:34,11
          text: After a while everything was quiet so he walked back home.
        sequence-61:
          s: 61
          from: 00:06:34,12
          to: 00:06:41,04
          text: We didn't know the place so we decided to spend the night there
        sequence-62:
          s: 62
          from: 00:06:41,05
          to: 00:06:51,03
          text: and leave the next morning. Slowly,
        sequence-63:
          s: 63
          from: 00:06:51,04
          to: 00:06:57,21
          text: avoiding the main roads and the villages, we went up to the hills.
        sequence-64:
          s: 64
          from: 00:06:57,22
          to: 00:07:07,06
          text: We reached Nironi, Vairo, Palanzano,
        sequence-65:
          s: 65
          from: 00:07:07,07
          to: 00:07:12,22
          text: all those villages that we'd heard about but had no idea where they
            were.
        sequence-66:
          s: 66
          from: 00:07:12,23
          to: 00:07:16,10
          text: 'If we asked people they would all say:'
        sequence-67:
          s: 67
          from: 00:07:16,11
          to: 00:07:21,00
          text: "\"No, here we don't know anything, we don't see anything,"
        sequence-68:
          s: 68
          from: 00:07:21,01
          to: 00:07:24,21
          text: we don't even know who the rebels are ..."
        sequence-69:
          s: 69
          from: 00:07:24,22
          to: 00:07:32,27
          text: So slowly, slowly we proceeded uphill and were quite desperate because
            we had lost ...
        sequence-70:
          s: 70
          from: 00:07:32,28
          to: 00:07:38,05
          text: We had some coins in our pocket but not many.
        sequence-71:
          s: 71
          from: 00:07:40,04
          to: 00:07:47,16
          text: At night there always was a problem of where to spend the night, at
            some peasant's house.
        sequence-72:
          s: 72
          from: 00:07:47,17
          to: 00:07:58,17
          text: But it was dangerous because the fascists would come and get you.
        sequence-73:
          s: 73
          from: 00:07:58,18
          to: 00:08:06,03
          text: So we arrived at Corniglio
        sequence-74:
          s: 74
          from: 00:08:06,04
          to: 00:08:17,05
          text: and we met this lady who was sitting outside her house knitting.
        sequence-75:
          s: 75
          from: 00:08:17,06
          to: 00:08:25,15
          text: 'We asked her: "Lady, we''re looking for partisans, the rebels ..."'
        sequence-76:
          s: 76
          from: 00:08:25,16
          to: 00:08:33,23
          text: Up there they didn't even know who the partisans were and we didn't
            have a proper term for them, either.
        sequence-77:
          s: 77
          from: 00:08:33,24
          to: 00:08:44,17
          text: 'So she said: "Look, there is a house up there, there is a man with
            some people,'
        sequence-78:
          s: 78
          from: 00:08:44,18
          to: 00:08:48,29
          text: I don't know what they're doing, I don't know if they're workers or
            somebody else.
        sequence-79:
          s: 79
          from: 00:08:49,00
          to: 00:08:52,16
          text: If you want to go up and have a look ..."
        sequence-80:
          s: 80
          from: 00:08:52,17
          to: 00:09:04,22
          text: So we went to see and in fact it was a group of rebels led by that
            man.
        sequence-81:
          s: 81
          from: 00:09:04,23
          to: 00:09:12,17
          text: We said we wanted to join them and they welcomed us.
        sequence-82:
          s: 82
          from: 00:09:15,28
          to: 00:09:25,28
          text: '"If you want to come out on patrol with us, otherwise you can wait
            here".'
        sequence-83:
          s: 83
          from: 00:09:25,29
          to: 00:09:33,09
          text: 'We said: "No, we want to come". So we did, one group here, one group
            there.'
        sequence-84:
          s: 84
          from: 00:09:33,10
          to: 00:09:37,22
          text: When we came back we went to this barn,
        sequence-85:
          s: 85
          from: 00:09:37,23
          to: 00:09:44,03
          text: which was transformed into a hideout,
        sequence-86:
          s: 86
          from: 00:09:44,04
          to: 00:09:50,21
          text: and there were butter and cheese and a lot of great stuff.
        sequence-87:
          s: 87
          from: 00:09:50,22
          to: 00:09:55,18
          text: One woman was making tagliatelle for the whole team.
        sequence-88:
          s: 88
          from: 00:09:55,19
          to: 00:10:01,06
          text: Wonderful! We were not even used to eat this dish at our own homes!
        sequence-89:
          s: 89
          from: 00:10:01,07
          to: 00:10:11,19
          text: 'After lunch, when we came back, the head of our team told us:'
        sequence-90:
          s: 90
          from: 00:10:11,20
          to: 00:10:21,16
          text: '"Go to the houses where the ladies are and invite them here so we
            can dance and have a chat".'
        sequence-91:
          s: 91
          from: 00:10:21,17
          to: 00:10:30,18
          text: And so we did, and some girls came and we chatted and danced.
        sequence-92:
          s: 92
          from: 00:10:30,19
          to: 00:10:36,19
          text: We had radios so we had a fine time.
        sequence-93:
          s: 93
          from: 00:10:36,20
          to: 00:10:40,25
          text: 'For 4-5 days everything went fine:'
        sequence-94:
          s: 94
          from: 00:10:40,26
          to: 00:10:48,15
          text: we went out on patrol and came back around noon.
        sequence-95:
          s: 95
          from: 00:10:48,16
          to: 00:10:55,17
          text: One day our corporal asked us if we were fine.
        sequence-96:
          s: 96
          from: 00:10:55,18
          to: 00:11:05,01
          text: I told him I was perfectly fine
        sequence-97:
          s: 97
          from: 00:11:05,02
          to: 00:11:11,27
          text: 'but my friend Pancio, who was sitting next to me, said:'
        sequence-98:
          s: 98
          from: 00:11:11,28
          to: 00:11:18,28
          text: '"No, if I find Communist partisans I will join them."'
        sequence-99:
          s: 99
          from: 00:11:18,29
          to: 00:11:30,23
          text: I asked him what he was saying. And Pancio repeated that he would
            join Communist partisans.
        sequence-100:
          s: 100
          from: 00:11:30,24
          to: 00:11:39,01
          text: I hit him with the elbow and then we went home
        sequence-101:
          s: 101
          from: 00:11:39,02
          to: 00:11:45,25
          text: and later the corporal went to talk to our boss, telling him our intentions.
        sequence-102:
          s: 102
          from: 00:11:45,26
          to: 00:11:49,29
          text: 'He came to us and said: "Go to the boss ..."'
        sequence-103:
          s: 103
          from: 00:11:50,00
          to: 00:11:56,09
          text: 'I told him: "Armando (Pancio), we had a hard time finding them'
        sequence-104:
          s: 104
          from: 00:11:56,10
          to: 00:12:02,18
          text: and now we've found them and are doing fine, we have to eat and have
            fun,
        sequence-105:
          s: 105
          from: 00:12:02,19
          to: 00:12:06,27
          text: how can you say something like this?"
        sequence-106:
          s: 106
          from: 00:12:06,28
          to: 00:12:11,28
          text: 'And in fact we walked in and our boss said:'
        sequence-107:
          s: 107
          from: 00:12:11,29
          to: 00:12:17,18
          text: "\"Hey you, you'd better stay in your area because we don't even have
            weapons,"
        sequence-108:
          s: 108
          from: 00:12:17,19
          to: 00:12:22,23
          text: so you'd rather go to the area of Succiso, there are partisans there".
        sequence-109:
          s: 109
          from: 00:12:23,20
          to: 00:12:27,17
          text: And so we kept going.
        sequence-110:
          s: 110
          from: 00:12:29,18
          to: 00:12:34,15
          text: I had this discussion with Pancio,
        sequence-111:
          s: 111
          from: 00:12:34,16
          to: 00:12:41,13
          text: I told him "Come on, were so lucky and now we're here in misery ...
            ".
        sequence-112:
          s: 112
          from: 00:12:41,14
          to: 00:12:44,12
          text: '"You''ll see that now ..."'
        sequence-113:
          s: 113
          from: 00:12:44,13
          to: 00:12:50,27
          text: Well, we went on slowly, slowly, and they didn't even give us anything
            for lunch.
        sequence-114:
          s: 114
          from: 00:12:50,28
          to: 00:13:00,24
          text: We went on walking towards our areas and we arrived around 10-11 am.
        sequence-115:
          s: 115
          from: 00:13:00,25
          to: 00:13:10,22
          text: It was a bad day, it was raining and we kept discussing
        sequence-116:
          s: 116
          from: 00:13:10,23
          to: 00:13:19,22
          text: about the fact that we were still there at the starting piont.
        sequence-117:
          s: 117
          from: 00:13:19,23
          to: 00:13:29,09
          text: We reached a point where people were throwing garbage in a hole,
        sequence-118:
          s: 118
          from: 00:13:29,10
          to: 00:13:35,19
          text: and we guessed that there must be a village nearby.
        sequence-119:
          s: 119
          from: 00:13:35,20
          to: 00:13:45,01
          text: I looked into the hole and saw a sort of Alpino-hat in the garbage.
        sequence-120:
          s: 120
          from: 00:13:45,02
          to: 00:13:52,12
          text: It was one of those hats that the Balilla were using,
        sequence-121:
          s: 121
          from: 00:13:52,13
          to: 00:13:57,07
          text: the avanguardists (fascist youth), they had a hat like the ones the
            Alpini used.
        sequence-122:
          s: 122
          from: 00:13:57,08
          to: 00:14:03,04
          text: So I went down and got the hat, cleaned it a bit and put it on my
            head.
        sequence-123:
          s: 123
          from: 00:14:03,05
          to: 00:14:07,22
          text: In this manner we reached Succiso.
        sequence-124:
          s: 124
          from: 00:14:07,23
          to: 00:14:14,12
          text: In the outskirts of the village there were a few women
        sequence-125:
          s: 125
          from: 00:14:14,13
          to: 00:14:20,16
          text: but in the centre there was nobody. Everyone had left!
        sequence-126:
          s: 126
          from: 00:14:20,17
          to: 00:14:30,24
          text: I went into the tavern of Torri and asked if there were partisans
            here.
        sequence-127:
          s: 127
          from: 00:14:30,25
          to: 00:14:38,01
          text: 'He said: "No, there are no partisan round here, nobody."'
        sequence-128:
          s: 128
          from: 00:14:38,02
          to: 00:14:44,19
          text: '"But I saw a few women ... " "They went to buy food".'
        sequence-129:
          s: 129
          from: 00:14:44,20
          to: 00:14:50,19
          text: So we decided to stay for a while, waiting for someone to come, but
            no-one appeared.
        sequence-130:
          s: 130
          from: 00:14:50,20
          to: 00:14:56,16
          text: It was like a desert even though it was a village.
        sequence-131:
          s: 131
          from: 00:14:59,10
          to: 00:15:03,06
          text: So we sat down under a poplar and said
        sequence-132:
          s: 132
          from: 00:15:03,07
          to: 00:15:12,25
          text: "\"Let's talk. We don't have any money, it's raining, we don't know
            where the partisans are,"
        sequence-133:
          s: 133
          from: 00:15:12,26
          to: 00:15:18,03
          text: they don't tell us anything here, what shall we do? Shall we go home?
        sequence-134:
          s: 134
          from: 00:15:18,04
          to: 00:15:21,07
          text: But we can't go home any more ..."
        sequence-135:
          s: 135
          from: 00:15:21,08
          to: 00:15:33,09
          text: He tried to calm me, he was older than me (he was born in 1924, I
            in 1926).
        sequence-136:
          s: 136
          from: 00:15:33,10
          to: 00:15:41,22
          text: 'But eventually I took my ID-card out of my wallet, I looked at him
            and told him:'
        sequence-137:
          s: 137
          from: 00:15:41,23
          to: 00:15:49,04
          text: '"Look, all our will to find the rebels is this".'
        sequence-138:
          s: 138
          from: 00:15:49,05
          to: 00:15:55,16
          text: And I tore the ID in pieces. He asked me why I had done so
        sequence-139:
          s: 139
          from: 00:15:55,17
          to: 00:16:03,19
          text: 'and I told him: "What do you think we''re going to do back home,
            show that we still have our ID?'
        sequence-140:
          s: 140
          from: 00:16:03,20
          to: 00:16:12,15
          text: They already know that we went for a walk to see how it is".
        sequence-141:
          s: 141
          from: 00:16:12,16
          to: 00:16:20,10
          text: And then I leaned against the poplar and cried, I was like a two-year-old
            child.
        sequence-142:
          s: 142
          from: 00:16:20,11
          to: 00:16:24,09
          text: The whole day was like that.
        sequence-143:
          s: 143
          from: 00:16:24,10
          to: 00:16:31,04
          text: We didn't even have the money to go and buy something, but there was
            nothing to buy, anyway.
        sequence-144:
          s: 144
          from: 00:16:31,05
          to: 00:16:39,28
          text: In the evening we saw a guy coming towards us.
        sequence-145:
          s: 145
          from: 00:16:39,29
          to: 00:16:45,13
          text: He was the one that i had brought the radio, he was from Gavasseto.
        sequence-146:
          s: 146
          from: 00:16:45,14
          to: 00:16:49,25
          text: 'He recognised me and said: "Are you the guy from Magnani?'
        sequence-147:
          s: 147
          from: 00:16:49,26
          to: 00:17:01,04
          text: You came to install my radio, remember, I live in Gavasseto ..." "Yes,
            I remember".
        sequence-148:
          s: 148
          from: 00:17:01,05
          to: 00:17:05,18
          text: So we loaded up all the stuff and went.
        sequence-149:
          s: 149
          from: 00:17:05,19
          to: 00:17:11,06
          text: The partisans were staying at Capanne di Succiso.
        sequence-150:
          s: 150
          from: 00:17:11,07
          to: 00:17:14,25
          text: After lunch they divided into groups
        sequence-151:
          s: 151
          from: 00:17:14,26
          to: 00:17:22,25
          text: and me and my friend Pancio found ourselves in different groups.
        sequence-152:
          s: 152
          from: 00:17:24,22
          to: 00:17:29,06
          text: I asked him "Where are you going?"
        sequence-153:
          s: 153
          from: 00:17:29,07
          to: 00:17:32,27
          text: '"They put me here, you''re going with the Cervi group".'
        sequence-154:
          s: 154
          from: 00:17:32,28
          to: 00:17:40,06
          text: I told him I wanted to stay together with him, we were like brothers,
        sequence-155:
          s: 155
          from: 00:17:40,07
          to: 00:17:47,11
          text: we couldn't stay in different groups with people we hardly knew.
        sequence-156:
          s: 156
          from: 00:17:56,05
          to: 00:18:06,11
          text: '"Sbafi "was the commander and "Mario" was the commissioner.'
        sequence-157:
          s: 157
          from: 00:18:06,12
          to: 00:18:13,25
          text: 'So I went to them and said: "Look, we are like brothers, you can''t
            divide us".'
        sequence-158:
          s: 158
          from: 00:18:13,26
          to: 00:18:17,13
          text: And they said "Ok, no problem, where do you want to go?"
        sequence-159:
          s: 159
          from: 00:18:17,14
          to: 00:18:20,05
          text: '"It doesn''t matter, as long as we are together".'
        sequence-160:
          s: 160
          from: 00:18:20,06
          to: 00:18:26,22
          text: 'So they put us thogether in the Cervi group and before evening they
            came and told us:'
        sequence-161:
          s: 161
          from: 00:18:26,23
          to: 00:18:33,12
          text: '"Now you go up the the Cerreto-pass to block the street".'
