Very interesting. I have heard a few stories from my in-laws family. one part was in the mountains of Marche where the maternal nonno was veterinario, in Sarnano. He often was paid in food, so they did not starve so much - but most of their extended families started to flock there, plus children were sent to them, away from dangerous cities, which made feeding this crowd a real headache. On my father-in-law side, situation was much more dire, since his father (and 2 of his sisters) had died early of tuberculosis and they were shunned by the rest of their coastal village as unsafe. Hunger was real but, thank goodness, there was the sea, which delivered always a little something.
Wow Nathalie, this is so interesting. Lucky for the nonno who had access to food. It sounds like it was so much harder for those who lived in the cities (or chose not to leave their homes for the countryside -- my in laws all left their homes in the city to the countryside instead and had their home ransacked, everything including the bedsheets, were taken while they were away). Being by the sea is a place I would have liked to be, as you say, there is something there to eat. I can never forget the quote I read once that polenta saved the north, fish saved the south and chestnuts saved central Italy.
Sarnano came with the additional issues linked with the presence of partisans, the civilians getting caught between them and the Germans. The nonno got nearly killed as part of a revenge decimation once...
This is all fascinating and I’m looking forward to part two.
When I arrived as a student in Florence in the mid 1980s I was amazed how close the war still was. In the US it seemed like ancient history, but in Florence it felt close and woven into the fabric of the city. My landlady told us stories of having to make her way across the city to find a bit of bread, dodging dangers and knowing her baby son was at home.
My Italian teacher assigned me a book that year, L’Agnese Va a Morire--it was a heartbreaking story of an older woman who joins the resistance. The writer, Renata Viganò had also been a member of the resistance.
Learning more about the food and how it evolved through these times really brings it into focus and makes it more real, thank you.
Oh that is amazing. My mother in law has many stories to tell too, but mostly they are those of her parents and her brother who has 10 years older than her (she was born in 1946) and I wrote about some of their stories in Tortellini at Midnight too. Partigiani a Tavola quotes L'Agnese Va a Morire as well! I want to read it now, I keep hearing it is a book that everyone should read at school here to understand what the older generations went through for their/our freedom.
Very interesting. I have heard a few stories from my in-laws family. one part was in the mountains of Marche where the maternal nonno was veterinario, in Sarnano. He often was paid in food, so they did not starve so much - but most of their extended families started to flock there, plus children were sent to them, away from dangerous cities, which made feeding this crowd a real headache. On my father-in-law side, situation was much more dire, since his father (and 2 of his sisters) had died early of tuberculosis and they were shunned by the rest of their coastal village as unsafe. Hunger was real but, thank goodness, there was the sea, which delivered always a little something.
Wow Nathalie, this is so interesting. Lucky for the nonno who had access to food. It sounds like it was so much harder for those who lived in the cities (or chose not to leave their homes for the countryside -- my in laws all left their homes in the city to the countryside instead and had their home ransacked, everything including the bedsheets, were taken while they were away). Being by the sea is a place I would have liked to be, as you say, there is something there to eat. I can never forget the quote I read once that polenta saved the north, fish saved the south and chestnuts saved central Italy.
Sarnano came with the additional issues linked with the presence of partisans, the civilians getting caught between them and the Germans. The nonno got nearly killed as part of a revenge decimation once...
This is all fascinating and I’m looking forward to part two.
When I arrived as a student in Florence in the mid 1980s I was amazed how close the war still was. In the US it seemed like ancient history, but in Florence it felt close and woven into the fabric of the city. My landlady told us stories of having to make her way across the city to find a bit of bread, dodging dangers and knowing her baby son was at home.
My Italian teacher assigned me a book that year, L’Agnese Va a Morire--it was a heartbreaking story of an older woman who joins the resistance. The writer, Renata Viganò had also been a member of the resistance.
Learning more about the food and how it evolved through these times really brings it into focus and makes it more real, thank you.
Oh that is amazing. My mother in law has many stories to tell too, but mostly they are those of her parents and her brother who has 10 years older than her (she was born in 1946) and I wrote about some of their stories in Tortellini at Midnight too. Partigiani a Tavola quotes L'Agnese Va a Morire as well! I want to read it now, I keep hearing it is a book that everyone should read at school here to understand what the older generations went through for their/our freedom.
Yes, i think so too! I keep thinking I should reread it, I still have it on my shelf.