European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)
-
From there we took the train to Como.
From there we took the train to Como.
Dopo a Milano invece abbiamo preso il treno e siamo andate a Como. -
In Como a man asked us where we were going,
In Como a man asked us where we were going,
Poi lì è stata una bella cosa perché un signore ci ha chiesto dove, dove andavamo -
and we replied that we were going to visit our brothers since they hadn’t sent any news for a long time.
and we replied that we were going to visit our brothers since they hadn’t sent any news for a long time.
e abbiamo detto che andavamo a trovare i nostri fratelli perché era tanto che non scrivevano e non sapevamo niente, -
We were also going to tell them that they had to run away,
We were also going to tell them that they had to run away,
ma noi andavamo anche con l’intenzione di dire che dovevano scappare, -
because the Germans were sending all sorts of people who were caught during roundups to Germany, especially young men, as well as the Jews.
because the Germans were sending all sorts of people who were caught during roundups to Germany, especially young men, as well as the Jews.
perché di quei periodi fra i rastrellamenti, fra che portavano via gli ebrei, portavano via tutti quelli che trovavano, specialmente quei ragazzi lì li portavano tutti in Germania. Allora... -
Then the man asked us where we had slept, and we told him we slept in the train station.
Then the man asked us where we had slept, and we told him we slept in the train station.
allora lui ha detto: “Brr, dove hai dormito?”, “Beh, in stazione”, -
“But the station is closed at night”, he said. “I guess we’ll sleep in a shelter then”, we replied.
“But the station is closed at night”, he said. “I guess we’ll sleep in a shelter then”, we replied.
“Ma la stazione la chiudono”, “Beh dormiremo in rifugio”, “Non ci sono i rifugi a Como -
“There are no shelters in Como, it’s a free city and we don’t get bombed”. What could we say?
“There are no shelters in Como, it’s a free city and we don’t get bombed”. What could we say?
perché è una città libera che non ci bombardano”. E vabbé chissà cosa avremmo pensato, -
We wouldn’t have said anything else, but at that point he told us to go with him
We wouldn’t have said anything else, but at that point he told us to go with him
non avremo detto niente noi poi perché che cosa dovevamo dire? Allora lui ha detto niente, poi ha detto: “Venite con me”. -
and bought us the ticket for the ferry that would have taken us all the way to the other side of the lake from Como, to Pizzo di Trona.
and bought us the ticket for the ferry that would have taken us all the way to the other side of the lake from Como, to Pizzo di Trona.
Poi ci ha fatto il biglietto per il traghetto... E’ stata una persona, guardi un angelo proprio, che ci ha fatto tutto l’itinerario per andare proprio dall’altra parte da Como proprio in fondo a Pizzo di Trona, -
He was truly an angel.
He was truly an angel.
proprio proprio ai confini non so neanche dove finiva il lago secondo me. -
Then he took us in front of a nice gate and rang the bell.
Then he took us in front of a nice gate and rang the bell.
Allora lui ci ha portato vicino ad un bel cancello, ha suonato, -
He told the nun who came out that they should offer us a place to sleep, since we were there to visit out brothers who were in the army.
He told the nun who came out that they should offer us a place to sleep, since we were there to visit out brothers who were in the army.
è venuta una suora ci ha detto: “Dovete dare ospitalità a queste due ragazze, vanno a trovare i loro fratelli militari”, e loro poverette ci hanno dato da dormire. -
They were really nice, they gave us a place to sleep and got us on the ferry at eight.
They were really nice, they gave us a place to sleep and got us on the ferry at eight.
E poi dice: “Loro domani mattina devono essere alle otto là al battello così”, e infatti loro sono state carinissime, ci hanno fatto prendere il battello la mattina alle otto. -
We only made it to our destination at noon, as the ferry was quite slow and stopped in all those small villages.
We only made it to our destination at noon, as the ferry was quite slow and stopped in all those small villages.
Siamo arrivate a mezzogiorno al paese là, che il battello andava piano magari ma per tutti questi paesini... -
When we got there the soldiers were coming back from a mop-up.
When we got there the soldiers were coming back from a mop-up.
Siamo arrivate a mezzogiorno e tornavano proprio da un rastrellamento i militari, -
What do you call them, fascists? Or should I say “repubblichini” (supporters of the Republic of Salò), as we called them then?
What do you call them, fascists? Or should I say “repubblichini” (supporters of the Republic of Salò), as we called them then?
erano i fascisti non so neanche, erano repubblichini? Come si chiamavano repubblichini allora. -
Anyway, they were all there apart from my brother.
Anyway, they were all there apart from my brother.
Quando siamo state là c’erano tutti e non c’era mio fratello. -
I was desperate, I immediately thought he had been killed in the mountains.
I was desperate, I immediately thought he had been killed in the mountains.
Io ero disperata. Dicevo: “Ma dov’è mio fratello?”, io nella mia testa pensavo già che lo avessero ammazzato in montagna, -
But it wasn’t true, he simply didn’t take part in the mop-ups.
But it wasn’t true, he simply didn’t take part in the mop-ups.
invece e invece no. Mio fratello non andava ai rastrellamenti,