Walter and Giulia

For Walter and his daughter Giulia, family memories are a source of richness and as such they cherish and pass them on. Walter spoke to us about his memories, and Giulia researched them, wrote them down and presented them to her peers as part of a school assignment. It was an incentive to get involved even more actively in a dialogue with the birthplace of his ancestors.

The story begins in 1906 when great-grandfather Antonio was born in Pula. He and his wife Stefania, originally from Pazin, started a family in Pula and had five children; Luigi, Nevia, Giuseppe, Giovanni and Enrico. Everyone left Pula, most of them stayed in Italy, whilst Nevia sought her fortune in Australia. This was almost the common image of Istrian families in the 20^th century.

Luigi is Walter’s father and Giulia’s grandfather, thanks to whom these memories and love for Istria are also still alive in Turin today. He was born in Pula in 1930. He remembers the fascist period from his schooling,

My grandfather remembers when Mussolini declared war in 1940, and groups of young fascists celebrated in the town. At that time, my grandfather attended the all-boy Francesco Petrarca Primary School that was located on XX September Street. It is apparent from the report how the fascist regime changed the institutions and even the dating, in fact, it introduced the “fascist era” whose years were marked with Roman numerals. Furthermore, even in the reports, as throughout Italy, there was a lictor’s bundle, in any case totally fascist symbols were used.

He remembers the war years, amongst other things, by working in a shop owned by a Jew.

I remember when I worked in a men’s clothing shop as a salesman, and the owner was Jewish. One morning I came to work together with another salesman and at the door I found two Germans who told us that the shop was closed and they sent us to the German headquarters for an explanation. When we got there, a German officer just asked us if we still had to get paid by the shop owner, and after we told him the amount he gave us the money and ordered us to leave without asking for any further information. From then on, I knew nothing about my employer.

Leaving Istria, on a train on the way to the Altamura (Bari) refugee camp, Luigi met his future wife, Gina. They started a life together in the camp and had a daughter, Giulia  and a son, Walter. It was only in 1956 thanks to employment that they moved to Turin, where they still live today.

Walter and the daughter Giulia spend every free moment in Istria. Gina’s relatives, with whom they have maintained strong ties since the moment they left Istria, remained in Bale.