European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

Our groups had found out that the Germans had specific plans for our region.

Men were to be taken to Germany to work,

while supplies for the German army on the Gothic front line had to come from the Po valley.

We realized that we could starve the German army by taking as many things as we could away from the pool.

We didn’t want to organize a political meeting in somebody’s house and put in danger the whole family.

We decided we would hold it under a tree down the road from Masone to Gavassa.

I think it was called “al gublein”.

I didn’t know how many women would show up, because we didn’t ask many questions.

All I knew is we had to go there. As I arrived, there were four or five of us.

After a few minutes the political commissioner reached us too.

He began to tell us what the situation was and how our partisan units in the mountains were coping.

He told us our work was very valuable and we should carry on with it.

He also added that women were putting themselves in a strong position for their rights to be accepted.

They were already talking about what would change after the Liberation, about the right to vote for women.

The commissioner explained to us that the right to vote was the most significant right women could have.

Throughout history it had not been acknowledged.

It was the first step towards women’s liberation.

That was the first time I heard somebody talk about these issues and about emancipation, such a great word.

Normal, every-day danger

I used to ride my bicycle from Castellazzo to piazza Fontanesi in Reggio,