European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

They put sergeants there as guards, and I was a sergeant, they wouldn't let anyone pass.

I had no Lira in my pocket, only Kunas, the Croatian currency.

There was a greengrocer there and I wanted grapes

so I went there to take a look and the lady said:

“Do you want grapes?” and I said “Yes madam, but I have no money”.

So she gave me the grapes for free.

She was like a mother, she asked me where I came from

and she said that the Germans were coming up from Jesi, from Ancona,

and that they were seizing the soldiers.

I went back and talked to the other seven fellows from Reggio Emilia.

Three came with me, we went home,

we had a hard time but after eleven days we reached our homes walking and by train.

We wanted to be home by September because then there would be grapes and figs,

there would be something to eat, whereas there was nothing at the place we were staying.

In Reggio I stayed at some poor peoples' house.

The villa in front of the house where the landlord was living was full of Germans.

I stayed there, hiding, with little to eat, nothing to smoke, it was hard.

stayed there two-three days. Then they sent me back home,

they paid me for those couple of days and then his grandfather didn't want me around anymore because I'd escaped.