Giuseppina

Giuseppina is one of the oldest residents of Momjan. Her memories of her childhood without her father, the difficult war and post-war years when fellow villagers accused each other and, in the darkest days, killed each other, are clear and reconcilable.

She stayed here, not even knowing the real reason. This was probably because her mother was attached to her parents and the place where she was born. Considering that she soon got a job in the Cooperative and had strong support from her father, she succeeded in taking care of her daughters. Giuseppina stayed with her mother and did not regret it even though the smells of cod and fritters, the sounds of footsteps coming from the tavolazza or the brass band during the Corpus Christi holiday faded more and more as her fellow villagers left. Even her twin sister was guided by her heart and went to Trieste.

Giuseppina remembers two waves of departures; right after the war, people who were connected to fascism, public servants and economically better-off families left, whilst the real great exodus happened in 1948 after the elections. She especially remembers Colomba (a dove), a woman with white hair who intimidated her fellow villagers and forced them to vote.

The occasional political pressures, insecurity, new ideology and great social changes pushed many to leave. Almost all of Momjanština (the area around Momjan) had moved away by 1954, but it never remained empty. The rimasti (remainers) nurtured it, embracing new residents, and those who left returned permanently.