Il 22 ottobre ed il 23 ottobre
Assisi
Saturday dawned bright and sunny and, with my two new Australian friends, Margie and Joan, I caught the bus and arrived at the train station, in plenty of time for our trip to Arezzo. While waiting for the train to arrive, who did I see (and what a terrific surprise), but Corinna Tonti and her father, Paolo. The Tonti's are good friends of mine; rather like my Italian family, and Corinna was headed back home to Milano. I have had the good fortune to stay in two of the three properties owned by the Tonti family and, last fall, lived in a private apartment in the Villa Rosy, a fabulous home located a few minutes from Assisi by car and a 45 minute walk if one is going on foot. The Villa Rosy is surrounded by 2,000 olive trees and, last year, I helped gather olives and even went to the mill to see where the Tonti olive oil is processed. I learned a lot about olive oil and can say, without hesitation, that this olive oil is the best I have ever had...and I have tasted a lot of olive oil! The Villa Rosy accommodates at least eight people and is a perfect place to stay for a group of friends traveling together or for a family reunion. www.sanpotente.it
The train ride to Arezzo lasted about ninety minutes and took us through the beautiful Umbrian and Tuscan countrysides which are quite different from one another. Arezzo, located southeast of Firenze, is well-known for the magnificent frescoes done by Piero della Francesca, found in the Basilica di San Francesco. The city, one of Toscana's most prosperous, is also a center for goldsmiths, jewelry and antiques. Arezzo is a vibrant place with lots of energy and we had a great day walking around, seeing the sights, shopping, and, or course, having an aperitivo in the Piazza San Francesco.
Margie and Joan came for lunch on Sunday and, after they left, I finished my homework and took a walk to see an enlightening and moving exhibit entitled Museo della Memoria...Assisi 1943-1944. During World War II, after the pact between Mussolini and Hitler was no longer in effect, the Jews living in northern Italy were in danger of being taken to the concentration camps (and many were taken, as well as a big deportation taking place in Roma prior to these years) as the Germans had control of this part of the country. The Americans were already in southern Italy and, because of this, the danger to the Jewish population there was greatly reduced.
The mayor of Assisi knew that in order to protect his city from being bombed by the Germans, he needed to give the Germans a reason to leave it alone. So, he had hospitals built and Assisi became the refuge for the injured and ill German soldiers and its citizens were, more or less, left alone. Along with the Bishop in Assisi, who, essentially, took it upon himself to help the Jews who were trying to get to the south, these two men were responsible for the hiding of 300 Jews in the various convents and monasteries here during 1943-1944. In addition, the local printer and his son, whose shop was located near la Piazza di Santa Chiara, printed phony documents for those Jews who were in hiding in Assisi. With these papers, those people who wanted to get to the south of Italy were able to do so and escape the horror of the concentration camps. All 300 Jews who were hidden in this city of San Francesco survived the war, thanks to the humanity of many Assisiani.
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