Memories of grandparents
1
Adriana’s memories
At ninety-two, a seamstress from Monza with an intact memory tells of the war — and of a choice that changes everything.
Adriana is a tiny little old lady of ninety-two, originally from Monza. In her youth she worked as a seamstress, like many of her contemporaries, but what sets her apart and makes her unique is a perfect memory despite her age. I wanted to take advantage of it at once, asking her to tell me about her past, in particular the war years — a period studied in every history book yet perhaps little understood. I think there is much knowledge of historical events but little understanding of the sufferings and the choices of the generation that lived through the war so harshly.
Adriana tells me that her father’s brother had been captured by the Fascists and held prisoner. From Adriana’s account, the uncle was seeing a disreputable woman who had been the cause of his imprisonment. It is hard to find a situation like this nowadays, but during the war it was not so rare.
Adriana’s memories
2
Rarer still was the choice of Adriana’s father: to go and rescue his brother! It often happens that even heroic deeds do not end well, for the father was in turn captured by the Fascists and beaten badly. Wars, fortunately, are not endless, and whoever believes himself strong today may not be so tomorrow. Thus are born the acts of revenge that often, in their turn, cause more wars.
To forgive does not mean to forget.
But Adriana’s father made a revolutionary choice. After the war he met again the old enemy who had beaten him and who was still alive. He chose not to take revenge, but to forgive. Certain situations mark your heart, and it is right that these experiences should be told even today, because if we find ourselves in peace and prosperity, it is also thanks to the choices and sacrifices our grandparents made seventy years ago.
Collected by Riccardo Beretta · AVO Concorezzo volunteer