Stefano and Nina

Stefano is from a second generation of Istrian emigrants. He was born in 1968 and “remembers” the exodus from the stories of his father Robert, who left Kanfanar with his parents when he was fifteen years old, the same age as Stefano’s daughter, Nina. Stefano spent every summer in Istria. His father, driven by nostalgia and his connection with the Istrian regions, actively dedicated himself to Pula and Istria in many ways, and took him with him on his frequent trips from Milan to Istria. When he became a pensioner, his father took on the role of deputy mayor of Pula in exile, became active in various associations and exile commissions, and also began to write short stories and memories in the local dialect.

Stefan’s daughter Nina used to come to Istria as often as he did, however, she passes on her grandfather’s memory in a different way, preparing digital presentations about the exodus for schools and telling stories about her grandfather’s memories in public.

We already felt this belonging, but it was different from that of my father Robert and my ancestors, we felt, however, this strong connection with our roots. It is true that we were born in other towns, that we did not live there, that we do not speak the dialect and that there are many elements that differentiate us from the experience of the exiles.

I inherited a surname that is like a symbol of belonging to one country, one nation, its people. That surname ending in “ch” is a bit strange, isn’t it?… for me it just represents a bond of eternal belonging.

Let’s say that I feel the feeling of belonging first of all through the five senses, I don’t know how to explain it… when I smell what Nina and I are cooking, pasta with chicken sauce, I feel like I’m there, in that country. When we prepare, following my father’s recipe, cod in white sauce or make homemade bread for Christmas… and at home I smell the smells of Istria… or when I come to Istria and see the red earth, white rocks, hear the sound of crickets in the pine forests. I feel that belonging deeply in my heart and it is our duty to keep this memory alive, especially since my dad passed away in 2018. We have to take responsibility and keep this memory alive because over the years there are fewer and fewer people who directly experienced all these events, so it is up to us to preserve it. This memory is difficult to express because we are unable to imagine and fully understand what the exodus was like. We have always lived in peace.