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Giuseppina Betti-Miscio

World War II Interview
by Gabiella Bonastesta

 

My maternal grandmother, Giuseppina Betti-Miscio, is an 88 year old woman living in New Jersey. She was born September 8th, 1920 in Milano, Italy. She lived there all throughout World War II until the 1970's. In this interview, the details of life during the war in Italy are powerful and distinct. There are certain names and dates that she cannot put into correct place, but the things that she recollects are stunning, and she was best able to articulate these remembrances in Italian rather than English.

Gabriella Bonatesta: Let's get some background. Where were you born?

Josephine Miscio: I was born in Firenze, September 1920.

JM: Yes, Florence, Italy. I lived with my father, mother and sister.                

GB: And where were you living when the war started?

JM: I was living in Codogno, Italy during World War II.

GB: How old were you?

JM: I was twenty.

GB: How did the war affect everyday life for you in your town?

JM: Well, we had Germans living in the town gymnasium. There were 30 soldiers living there. They would eat the fresh food from the town, like our meat, cheese, fruits...  All we were left to feed ourselves with was bread.

GB: Did you talk to them? 

 

JM: No. The school was right behind my house, but we did not interact.

GB: What did they do in their spare time?

JM: What you would expect them to. They would eat our town's food during meals, sometimes they would sing at night.

GB: Approximately how long did these men stay in your small town?

JM: They were there for a long, long time. I think it was about three years.

GB: What were you doing? Did you go to school or work at all?

JM: Yes. I had already finished my secretarial school and started work at an office for an engineer.

GB: Was there still a social life?

JM: Absolutely not. No one celebrated anything. The children did not even go to school.

GB: What was living generally like at this time?

JM: First of all, there was a curfew. We were to stay in our houses from sundown until morning. This was to limit rebellious activities, although I am sure there were other reasons. Our movements were restricted. We could not move freely.

GB: Are there any specific memories that you have relating to the war?

JM: Since they took the supplies and food to give to their troops, we were always running out. Since there was a curfew, my family and I would dress all in black and ride our bicycles 30 km to the nearest posts for food. There was one outside of Codogno and another in Piacenza.

GB: Were you personally affected by the war, with death or danger?

JM: My father made formaggio (cheese). He had his own business, and building that he shared with his partner. There was a basement room that could be accessed by opening the floor and walking down.  One afternoon, my father went to check on the cheeses that were being aged in the basement and upon his return upstairs, he found the store raided and his partner dead. The German soldiers had come in.

GB: Were you married or single?

JM: Well, actually, I was love in a man who was a partisan. He was very passionate about working against the Fascists. He was already married when I met him, but he told me he was going to leave his wife to marry me after the war. Unfortunately, he never did come back home. But at least he died for what he believed in. We needed people like him - fighting for what the common people wanted.

JM: I was against Mussolini.

GB: Did you know anyone else who acted out against the war?

JM: Judita Mori, my best friend. She was a partigiana (partisan.) We were all supporters of the resistance. These partisans were the same kind of people who killed Mussolini.

GB: Was there any specific instances where you were scared for your life?

JM: The Pippo. There were nights I could not sleep.

GB: Who/What is the Pippo?

JM: It dropped a single bomb. We thought it would come and drop that bomb on our rooftop.

GB: How did you feel after Mussolini's death.

JM: The whole town clapped. We were very happy.

GB: I know that Mussolini's body was brought to Milan. Do you remember anything about this?

JM: Yes, I went to the piazza where his body was hung. Where I was living in Codogno, it is a small suburb of Milano. That is where he was, Milan. So, it was not too far of a journey for me. I remember it was a spontaneous action when they brought him there. Rifles were laid all around him and his mistress. That is the most vivid memory I have.

GB: How did you feel when the war was over, when you were finally free?

JM: We sang, oh, we danced. We did everything you could imagine. We finally had una nuova vita (a new life.)

While conducting this interview, my aunt, (Josephine's daughter) was present. When my grandmother started talking about the Pippo, we knew nothing of the sort. Vital to my grandmother's story is what the Pippo is. Northern Italians used this word for a plane that - although they did not know where it was coming from or who was flying it- they were paranoid that it would fly over their house and drop a single bomb at night. It is considered a mystery, still, although thousands have made written accounts about their memories of this plane. Inside of all of my grandmother's experiences and her stories, was, most interestingly, the story about this mysterious plane. It makes me think of all of the underground tunnels, word-of-mouth stories, and other war folk-lore that is not generally discussed in history classes or textbooks. This interview, as well as all other spoken word and written documents from people who have lived in different times, are the most important part of the intricacies of life and history.