A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism

The Resistance #4

by Caroline Moorehead

The extraordinary story of four courageous women who helped form the Italian Resistance during the Second World War

In the late summer of 1943, when Italy changed sides in the War and the Germans, now their enemies, occupied the north of the country, an Italian Resistance was born. Ada, Frida, Silvia and Bianca were four young Piedmontese women who joined the Resistance, living secretively in the mountains surrounding Turin. They were not alone. Between 1943 and 1945, as the Allies battled their way north, thousands of men and women throughout occupied Italy rose up and fought to liberate their country from the German invaders and their Fascist collaborators. What made the partisan war all the more extraordinary was the number of women in its ranks.

The bloody civil war that ensued across the country pitted neighbour against neighbour, and brought out the best and worst in Italian society. The courage shown by the partisans was exemplary, and eventually bound them together as a coherent fighting force. And the women's contribution was invaluable - they fought, carried messages and weapons, provided safe houses, laid mines and took prisoners. Ada's house deep in the mountains became a meeting place and refuge for many of them. The death rattle of Mussolini’s two decades of Fascist rule – with its corruption, greed and anti-Semitism – was unrelentingly violent and brutal, but for the partisan women it was also a time of camaraderie and equality, pride and optimism. They had proved, to themselves and to the world, what resolve, tenacity and above all exceptional courage could achieve.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Italy, World War II, Historical, Feminism, War

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 14, 2019

About the author

Caroline Moorehead is the New York Times bestselling author of Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France; A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France; and Human Cargo: A Journey Among Refugees, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. An acclaimed biographer, Moorehead has also written for the New York Review of Books, the Guardian, the Times, and the Independent. She lives in London and Italy.

Reviews

[Lisa Forsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book intrigued me. I have read 2 of the author’s other books. Fascinating amount of facts, however they are sort of hard to follow due to the number of people discussed. My dad’s family is from this exact area, Piedmont in northern Italy. In fact, while I was reading it, I messaged with my cousin who lives there and asked him about his father’s memories of the war. I discovered that at least one of my relatives was a partisan. He survived the war (which on it’s own is incredible after reading this story) and in fact lived to be 89.

The history was interesting - Italy had so many different issues with so many groups fighting for control...Fascists, and the Resistance, which was again divided by those who were Communist and those who were not. As you might imagine, this led to difficulties with the differences in ideologies, for Italians but also for the Allied and the Axis.

This book highlighted the role women played in this Resistance. Because their intelligence and loyalties were underestimated, it allowed them to be more effective perhaps than if they had been thought of as a threat.

As always, it is amazing what people lived through and I am reminded how fortunate to be living in a country with no recent wars on our homeland.

[Cecile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is niche, but it’s MY niche.

It is also so so important. It’s a reminder how women are too often written out of history, how too often their impact is undermined and discredited. The role women played in the Italian resistance is largely unknown but nothing short of incredible. I am in awe.

There is also some fascinating commentary on the connection and allegiance between women and other marginalised groups, namely Italy’s working class and Jewish population.

Actually, maybe this book isn’t niche. After all, women’s histories should really be anything but.

[Emmkay · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I read, I realized how little I knew about the course of the Second World War in Italy, and the Northern Resistance in particular. Even just the broad outlines were a bit of an ‘aha’ for me - Mussolini being deposed then set up again by the Germans with his own little so-called republic in the north, resisted mightily by partisans who faced both ruthless German and Fascist oppression and Allied bombing, while the Allied invasion in the south set up another government in Rome.

Moorehead focuses on the partisans in and around Turin, an area where I have family connections, and I was astounded to read more about the bravery and suffering that went on, so am very glad to have read this for that reason. Her focus is fairly diffuse, but as per the title she has a particular interest in the women who participated in the Resistance, throwing off the restrictive yoke of Fascist visions of femininity and playing key roles as messengers, thinkers, and fighters. As is so often the case, their contribution was minimized and they were marginalized after the war. It was also interesting to read about how the Allies mistrusted and patronized the partisans.

Well-researched but not very well-written, I thought. So hard to keep the players straight. They seemed to be all very vivid and individualized to the author, but impossible to distinguish reliably between them as I was reading, which was a bit frustrating. Each person was ploddingly introduced with two or three adjectives, but when they reappeared later, it was no help that several pages previously I’d been told they were “tall and lively” or “shy, scholarly, and limping”, or whatever. 3.5.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is fascinating but I found the number of characters and minutia too much to deal with so I stopped reading

[wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well researched and written book for a narrow audience. My only complaint is the book's subtitle "the women who liberated Italy from fascism". The insertion of the word "helped" would have made the cover much less misleading. The book generally follows the lives of four women who became members of the resistance against Mussolini and his government during World War 2 and after with their disappointment when women didn't get their well deserved credit and benefits they hoped to get in post war Italy. Well worth reading if this topic appeals to you.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, putting this in my read bookshelf is a bit of a lie since I couldn't get through it (got about 1/2 way). I wanted more of a story, and this read like an encyclopedia or timeline.

[Summerfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm proud of my people but also grossly disappointed in my people. It's not new, trust me.

It sucks that the country in which my family has roots and the country in which I was born and raised both have fascistic tendencies. LET ME GO omg. My great-grandfather was not part of the resistance because a) he was from the south and b) he was in America at least by 1943, but unfortunately he was a deadbeat and we don't have a lot of information about him prior to his arrival here. Mussolini, fascism, and the lead-up to all of this would have all happened in his adult years, however. Side note: it really sucks when your family is full of pieces of shit and the remaining members don't want to talk about them. I get it's painful, but damn that's our history. Even if he was a twat, I want to know his history because IT'S IMPORTANT. Anyway. Sorry/not sorry for the personal tangent.

What amounted to an Italian civil war was violent and horrific. And unfortunately, a lot of the women's contributions were erased. The backsliding was real. IS real. Lookin' at you Silvio Berlusconi, may you rot in a hell of your own making. The bravery of those discussed here is something that should never be forgotten or ignored. Knowing the violent deaths they would be subject to should they be caught would be enough to cause most people to piss their pants or just hide their heads and pretend it wasn't happening - which is how fascism works. It relies on the complacency and complicity of the citizen. Don't be those people. Be THESE people.

[Andrea]

DNF. I got about 1/3 of the way through and although it is a fascinating book and topic, it was just too much of a history lesson that an interesting book to read all the way through.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit tedious

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up because it is well-written, well-researched, and well-narrated. But it lost the half star because:

Is it a story about Italy during WWII? Yes.
Is it a story about the resistance that ended fascism in Italy? Yes.
But it is not a story about "The Women who liberated Italy from fascism". It is a story of the people who liberated Italy. Male and female. And yes, the women were treated awfully afterwards for about 20 years. But having the last chapter/epilogue focus on 4 women does make it a book about "The Women".

[Joao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Altamente recomendado para quem quiser conhecer os últimos 20 meses da segunda guerra Mundial em Itália, e o importante papel que algumas corajosas mulheres desempenharam no seu desenlace.
Não é um livro fácil de ler, há muita gente a entrar e sair da narrativa, mas quem disse que a História é simples?
Apesar de tudo, há que enaltecer o trabalho da autora em conseguir estabelecer um fio condutor à volta de 4 mulheres, a partir do qual consegue tecer a complexa história da libertação da Itália (principalmente o Norte) de forma fluida e compreensível para alguém que, como eu, não é muito versado na história daquele país.
A reler.

[Vendela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary book. Violent and at times really tough going, but such a riveting story you can’t put it down nonetheless. And the women. Ada. Silvia. Frida. Lisseta. So damn brave, so damn bright, and such an important part of the partisan resistance. Read this book.

[Donna May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found this book to be intriguing and insightful. I am impressed at how courageous these women were.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a fair number of books about World War II in various countries; the US, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and Poland, but never Italy. My father fought in Italy during the war, but all he talked about was the funny things that happened. A House in the Mountains is about the 22 months of the Italian Resistance, and specifically the women in the resistance, fighting against the Italian Fascists and the Germans, after Benito Mussolini was removed by his own cabinet in July, 1943.
Between July and September 9, 1943, a revolution of sorts took place in Italy. Mussolini was put in jail. Romans danced in the streets. Prominent Fascists began to be shot in the street. The Italian government signed an armistice with the Allies.
It was a short-lived revolution. When the armistice was announced, the Germans moved in. They took over the railway system, the telephone exchanges, the army and naval bases. The Italian military hardly resisted at all. Over 600,000 Italian soldiers were sent to Germany on trains to work as slave labor.
Caroline Moorehead, the author of A House in the Mountains, focuses on Turin, the center of resistance in the north, and the part women played. To appreciate how amazing this was Moorehead discusses the way Fascism dictated sex roles in Italian society. Women did not have the vote in Fascist Italy. In fact, women were inferior, and should not be allowed to work around machinery or in the professions. If they wanted to go to university, they had to pay twice as much tuition as men. Their role was to be mothers and have children, "many little soldiers for the Italian empire."
Women in the Piedmont were not content to be walking wombs. They had been taking an active part in combating Fascism even before Mussolini was deposed. But once the Germans came, they participated in strikes at the factories of Turin, acts of sabotage, and hid Allied prisoners of war and urged Italian soldiers to leave their barracks and go home.
The book focuses on four women,`Ada Gobetti, Bianca Guidetti Sera, Freida Malan and Silvia Pons, who were instrumental in the Resistance. This is an inspiring and depressing story of ordinary people brought to heroic acts in the hope of a better future. Read this book.

[Anntonette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because I was looking for examples of people successfully resisting authoritarianism. I am better for having read this book, mostly because I learned things about Italy’s role in World War II that are not typical teaching points in United States’ history classes, and I was a political science major in college, so had to read a lot about World War II. It is strange to think of racism against Italians, but it certainly helped shape the post war story.

That said, this book was not the inspirational example I was looking for. It was a great example of how ordinary citizens can resist, and can make a difference in getting rid of authoritarian government, and from that, I learned some good lessons. Like always try to get away. Like lie your way out of potentially getting caught by the bad guys. The people who are compliant and well behaved get shot up against the wall.

However, the way that the situation turns out after victory for the female partisans is simply depressing. Women fought hard for a better Italy for women, and instead went back to a society that treated them just as badly as they were treated under fascism.

I say I am better for this book because it helps me to understand that the fight doesn’t end with “victory”. The fight for societies that are fair and just never ends.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was well researched and captures a part of WWII history that was unfamiliar to me. It is a powerful book that can be brutal, yet captivating. I will read her other books. I did not give it 5 stars because, at times, I found the writing cumbersome and too dense.

[Ellie Gookey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt like this took me forever to get through. The story is so important but I found it hard to keep up with

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title and subtitle of the book are all that's captivating. More than a dozen times, I've tried reading it with the intention to invest thoughtful consideration, but there's so much jumping back and forth to different timelines, adding too many new characters, not allowing me to stay interested in one long enough to care. Two chapters in with three months of trying, I do not recommend this book.

[R Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoroughly absorbing account of the Italian resistance; rich in detail and anecdote as Moorehead gives us personal stories of a very complicated response to Mussolini's deposing in 1943 and the subsequent clashes between occupiers and resisters; fascist, Nazis, and the partisans, all whilst disagreement reigned amongst the Allies as to how to support or not the government in the South and the resisters in the North battling the Salo government, nominally headed by Mussolini.

I have read some of Moorehead's previous books and in particular really enjoyed the one on Resistance in a small village in Lyon, so I had no qualms in terms of readability going into this one. It is also a historical period about which I knew very little going in, and in that respect it was highly illuminating and fascinating discovering the degree to which Italy was fractured, with what appears to be multiple fighting overlapping. Part civil war (a contested phrase by some, for its name implies some legitimacy in the Salo government), part battling against occupiers and in part the political problems of seeking support from the Allies who still viewed them as an enemy to be conquered.

The book proceeds largely chronologically and, roughly speaking, focuses on the efforts of the staffeta, the women who risked their lives to organise and help partisan groups fight back, and fight for liberation with and alongside the men. It nominally leads these focus through 4 main characters, Ada, Frida, Silvia and Bianca, but there are so many personal stories interspersed alongside the broader narrative of resistance activity that at times it was often quite difficult to hold onto a throughline with each chapter, and sometimes it went from one paragraph anecdote on one example of sabotage to another completely separate one on something else.

I suspect this is in part due to the wealth of testimony from this period, and a desire to really give voice (to an English speaking audience) to as many of these hitherto unacknowledged fighters and heroines. As the post-script depressingly explains, despite their efforts, a sense of social conservatism soon re-established itself in months following the end of the war and many of the dreams and aspirations of these women who found freedom in leading, organising, and campaigning for their new utopia to emerge from these fascist ashes all died away.

Women were quietly encouraged to return to traditional domestic roles, fascists who had been in hiding survived reprisals and returned to take up political roles. In this light it feels vital to revitalise the stories of these women and their lives, to acknowledge the suffering and the sacrifice. The violence and reprisals of the back and forth in the fighting was often horrific and couldn't help but leave it's mark.

For those like me with little knowledge of these people, or the Italian experience in general during this time it is an excellent and richly detailed account of brave individuals, a time of utopian dreaming, women emerging from 20 years of fascist domestic servility to involve themselves directly and critically in the resistance, political complexities, brutal fighting and vengeance ( both ways ) and the subsequent let down of the post-war fall out.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today’s Nonfiction post is on A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism by Caroline Moorehead. It is 416 pages and is published by Harper. The cover has a picture of three of the women on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in World War II history and women’s history. There is foul language, discussion of rape and sexual abuse, and lots of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the dust jacket- In the late summer of 1943, when Italy broke with the Germans and joined the Allies after suffering catastrophic military losses, an Italian Resistance was born. Four young Piedmontese women—Ada, Frida, Silvia and Bianca—living secretly in the mountains surrounding Turin, risked their lives to overthrow Italy’s authoritarian government. They were among the thousands of Italians who joined the Partisan effort to help the Allies liberate their country from the German invaders and their Fascist collaborators. What made this partisan war all the more extraordinary was the number of women—like this brave quartet—who swelled its ranks.

The bloody civil war that ensued pitted neighbor against neighbor, and revealed the best and worst in Italian society. The courage shown by the partisans was exemplary, and eventually bound them together into a coherent fighting force. But the death rattle of Mussolini’s two decades of Fascist rule—with its corruption, greed, and anti-Semitism—was unrelentingly violent and brutal.

Drawing on a rich cache of previously untranslated sources, prize-winning historian Caroline Moorehead illuminates the experiences of Ada, Frida, Silvia, and Bianca to tell the little-known story of the women of the Italian partisan movement fighting for freedom against fascism in all its forms, while Europe collapsed in smoldering ruins around them.


Review- A great overview of the Italian war front and what information we can find on the women who fought there. Moorehead, who is an excellent writer and researcher, turns her eye to Italy> There is so much information going on in this book at times it can be overwhelming but the women are barely there. At least that is what I felt like. I know that most of the problem is what the people in power at the time did not understand or see what the women give to be free but that makes this book less about them more about the italian front in general. That said it was interesting and I have never really read anything about Italy after it fell and what happened to the people who were trapped with the Italian fascists and the Nazis. Not my favorite of her books but still a solid read.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

[Lance Hillsinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A House in the Mountains: The Women who liberated Italy from Fascism by Caroline Moorehead starts poorly. In the first third of the book, some paragraphs have an inordinate number of proper names. In one passage, the last sentence of the paragraph ends with so-and-so did such and such, but so-and-so hadn’t been mentioned for several sentences. The reader has to go back and figure out which of several proper names so-and-so was. In another passage, Moorehead writes about an attempt to get an American serviceman spirited into Switzerland, but the reader is left hanging out about what happened to the serviceman. Also, the narrative frequently uses the Italian word staffette. However, it is not until more than a hundred pages that she defines the word staffette, but because of its frequent use, the reader already knows its meaning.

However, about a third of the way through, it is as if Moorehead had a new editor. The transitions back and forth between the lives of the women she profiles to the progress of the war are much better. The writing is more organized. The complicated politics of the time are explained more clearly.

In both the first third and the second two-thirds, Moorehead brings extensive research to bear. Whatever one’s opinion about the writing style, A House in the Mountains is certainly “data-rich.”

As the sub-title implies, Moorehead’s focus is women’s involvement in the resistance. Their brave efforts, especially as couriers of information, were certainly critical.

However, Moorehead’s focus is not just on fighting Nazism but recognizing the value of women, particularly in traditional Italy. (Women in Italy did not get the right to vote until 1945). Her focus, at times, goes a little too far. For instance, the subtitle should read “the women who HELPED liberate Italy from fascism" the subtitle as written is as if the women did all of the liberating.

For its “data-rich” narrative and two-thirds of a well-written book, A House in the Mountains deserves four stars.

[ritarda.daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sono rimasta un pochino delusa da questo saggio, nonostante nel complesso mi sia abbastanza piaciuto.
L'ho letto subito dopo "Diario partigiano" di Ada Gobetti sperando di approfondire la sua figura ma in realtà il saggio non aggiunge molto al diario.
Inoltre ho trovato un pochino fuorvianti il sottotitolo "Storia di quattro partigiane" e la prefazione. Il saggio infatti tratta prevalentemente della lotta partigiana in Piemonte e nel nord Italia. Ho trovato la parte riguardante le quattro partigiane e in generale le altre donne che hanno combattuto al loro fianco sfidando paura, pericoli e pregiudizi, frammentaria, a volte regalata alla fine del capitolo, a volte inserita a forza in esso.

C'erano molte parti interessanti sulle quali avrei voluto l'autrice si soffermasse di più, ovvero tutto il concetto di come le donne combattessero non solo per la liberazione dal nazifascismo ma per la creazione di una società più equa dove uomo e donna fossero alla pari.
Partendo con altre aspettative il saggio risulta comunque molto godibile, l'autrice scrive in maniera molto chiara, diretta, cita sempre le fonti, non giudica, non cede a sentimentalismi, non indugia sugli orrori della guerra. Riesce a essere sufficientemente distaccata senza però smettere di essere scorrevole e abbastanza coinvolgente.

Il saggio può sicuramente piacere molto a quelli come me che sono appassionati di letteratura italiana del Novecento. Sia perché ricco di citazioni tipo de "Il sistema periodico" di Primo Levi o "Le piccole virtù" di Natalia Ginzburg. Sia perché tra le pagine del libro le vicende personali e le storie di vita di questo scrittori si intrecciano abilmente.

In conclusione ve lo consiglio con riserva come trampolino di lancio per approfondire con altre letture il tema del ruolo della donna nella Resistenza e nel primo dopoguerra (cosa che farò anche io) o appunto se siete amanti della letteratura italiana del Novecento e volete allungare la wishlist di libri.

[Justus Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the author does so successfully in this book is weave in the wider tale of Italian politics during ‘43-‘46 into the personal journeys of several partisan women and men. What is most apparent is precisely how complex and multi-faceted the Italian war was. As it was described, there were essentially 3 wars happening at once; Allies vs. Axis, Salò vs. The Badoglio Government, and Fascists vs. Anti-Fascists. And all these wars crossed each other and overlapped each other. And amidst it were everyday people who, unexpectedly, found themselves in the middle of a brutal and relentless war on all sides. And how many women who could’ve sat aside dove in instead and made real contributions to the defeat of the fascists.

For the women who fought in all political spectrums during the war, it was a chance to forge a new Italy that involved them. A Revolution of sorts. They were not spared from torture, rape, mutilation, execution, and every form of fascist barbarity afforded to partisans. They shed their blood just as willingly as the men they served alongside, and it was a tragedy that after the war their contributions were seldom recognized, and that the role of women in Italy would take decades to reshape.

[Cathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I learned some interesting history from this book, most of it was HIStory. When I heard the male narrator's voice on the audiobook, I should have known that this would not be great. I mean in this day and age, who doesn't know enough about perception to realize the implications of not having a woman read women's history (and don't tell me you can't find qualified readers - I know plenty who speak the languages used in this text). Actually SHAME on Moorehead for allowing her book to be read in this manner and for allowing a text that focuses mostly on general, male history rather than women's for most of text - at times it's as if she's said, "Oh sh*t, I need to find something about women to stick in here." Luckily I'm well versed in how to use references, so eventually I'll be able to learn about the women this book purported to be focused on.

[Dominga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi aleggia ancora intorno tanta amarezza. Quel che si legge sui libri di scuola non risponde purtroppo a realtà. E una volta in più, la tristezza di essere consapevoli che in Italia cambia tutto per non cambiare niente. La parte finale è dura da digerire, la realtà gattopardiana in cui viviamo non lascia spazio per le persone buone, altruiste e che desiderano una società migliore e giusta per tutti.
Brilla come sempre la figura di Ada Gobetti, che rimane per me un fulgido esempio di donna (suggerisco a tutti la lettura del suo Diario Partigiano)

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some members of my family were involved in the Italian Resistance and I was more than happy when I got this ARC.
It's well researched and the explanations of what happened is detailed and clear.
I loved to read the story of these women and I'm more than happy that their names are remembered.
It was a book that moved me, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Harry Alleva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth be told, I had a very difficult time keeping all of the characters' names in memory. That and the numerous political parties that were formed etc. etc. Somewhat a tediouos read.

[Peter Panico · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engrossing read that reminds us that our stories and narratives of war are sadly lacking in the details and exploits of the everyday people swept up in them. Not to mention reminding us that we need to continue fighting fascism everywhere and all the time. These women of the Resistance have more courage in one fingernail than most of us have in our entire bodies.

[Diane Justice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really admire these women but I didn’t find this book as exciting or inspiring as the subject matter should be. Instead it reads like a tedious textbook. I did, however, find that I am horribly uninformed about Italy from 1943 to 1945.

[Vansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible, devastating book about the little-written about women of the Italian resistance to German occupation, from 1943-1945. The book serves as an excellent history of the Italian Resistance itself, and as Moorehead explains, there's not much literature available about it, as there is about the French Resistance, mostly because the Allied Powers never trusted the Italian partisans, nearly all of whom were Communists or Communist-affiliated ( even though Russia was an ally at the time, and a major reason for the Allies winning WWII).
After nearly 2 decades of fascist rule, where women were expected only to serve subservient positions to men, the Resistance saw the rise of women's involvement in the strikes and the movements-Moorehead chronicles the slow rise of this very well-the men were away at war, or had been taken prisoner, the women had been holding down the fort, supporting their families, going out to work, trying to make ends meet in a country where the war was going very badly, and where nearly all the wheat, gold, food supplies had been requisitioned towards the Nazi war effort. When the Nazis occupied, they rose to action in multiple small ways, such as hiding deserting soldiers of the Italian Army, striking in factories. Moorehead uses the stories of 4 remarkable women to explore the Resistance movement itself, the rise, the various factions involved and coordination of operations, the most prominent among them being Ada Gobetti. Women were key members of the partisans-the resistance fighters lived and hid in the mountains surrounding valleys, and women ( known as staffete) carried food, supplies, arms and information about troop movements and the progress of the war. THis was always at the risk of their lives on capture, and she emphasises their bravery and ingenuity in tricking the Nazi and Italian fascist patrols-hiding arms in prams, hitching rides with army trucks and getting information from them by pretending to be naturally curious in the glorious army, among others. Many resistance fighters recruited their children to this effort as well-children being less likely to be suspected. THe book has a power photo of a 13 year old Oriana Fallaci on her trusty bicycle that she used on all her Resistance duties-her direct, unflinching stare at the camera at a time when photos weren't commonplace at all is remarkable.This was an intensely difficult time-while the ALlies were supposed to drop arms and supplies, they didn't entirely trust the partisans, because they were all Communist, and there were coordination problems as well. She chronicles the terrible winter that they survived through, and kept fighting. THere are several fascinating characters she writes about-she doesn't hold back about the complicity of the Catholic Church, and points out several courageous priests and nuns who helped the partisans, some of the priests even fighting alongside the partisans ( interestingly, she mention sthat several of these priests were sent to South America by the Allies, since they were tainted as Communist collaborators. Moorehead implies that given their views and preaching, they laid the foundation for the liberation theologists of the rebellions in South America). As the war was drawing to a close, the violence and barbarism inflicted on the Resistanace escalated to unimaginable levels since they flt they had nothing to lose, which makes for very difficult reading. I was particularly struck by her account of a palazzo taken over by a Fascist thug in Milan, funded by Mussolini's government in Salo and the Nazis, who used the basement cellars as prisons, and who would subject them to torture along with his friends-it made Pasolini's Salo seem like a documentary account. The Resistance movement, supported by the Alied advance through Italy, was ultimately successful, with several towns and cities liberated by them. Unfortunately, just as the fighters felt they could enjoy their success and rebuild Italy, they realised they were completely dependant on Allied goodwill for funding and support. And that was contingent on reducing Communist influence in Italy, with the tragic outcome that several Fascist functionaries continued to people all the country's institutions. Even worse, it was decided that to further reconciliation, an amnesty would be granted to all crimes committed during Nazi occupation. However, this amnesty was for a timeline just up till the Liberation, with the consequence that several Resistance fighters were tried and convicted for supposed crimes committed against Fascists and Nazis, with many of them languishing in jails for years before their cases were decided, and the narrative being slowly spun of partisan violence in Italy being as macabre as the Nazi occupation-a horrifyingly false equivalence. As for the women, they were expected to revert to their traditional roles of domesticity, despite being front and centre of action in the Resistance. Their actions had inspired a generation, however, to realise that they were capable of so much more, and led to a slow changing of attitudes on the restrictions placed on them.
One of my most memorable ( if harrowing) travel experiences was a visit to the Museum of the Liberation of ROme at Via Tasso, that was used as a prison/interrogation cell/torture room for the Resistance by the Nazis during the Occupation, and is now preserved as a monument to the spirit and courage of the Resistance fighters. This book was particularly moving for me, as I could now get the full stories of the names I saw there, and trace the path that the Resistance took. THis is a harrowing book but deeply important, to give you a narrative of bravery that's not enough written about.