Paul Sostero, Purgessimo UD Nato il 30 giugno 1910
Nastro 1996/3 - Lato A April 15, 1996
The soldiers were to stand here fifteen [...] remained twenty days, you can still see the open spaces they had prepared for the tents.
That mountain you see, we call it in Friulian Uispít and I've read in history that when the Lombards were pointed down the plain, because before they looked forward, not going to fly blind. Uispít means tip, but the map is called Purgessimo.
Purgessimo Up to now there is the transmitter.
You can get those houses over the country, before the church there is a bar part where the road zig-zag.
Near Castelmonte, where is the border, was full of trenches. I went to see those places, in motor, when I was younger.
Even up here on the Purgessimo had made, and something can still be seen [when] I sometimes pick up that kind of wild asparagus (urtisúi) .
After the war I was a director of Purgessimo, the Christian Democrats. But now here are all of [the League], they all speak of Bossi.
[...]
At the time of World War I was a kid, and one day have come many compressors, five six, led by civilians. I was there with my brother and they told me: "Wait here, be careful if you are our captain and come to call," and went to drink a pint of wine.
Then they made the bridge. The plain was not as now, had not been cleaned up: there were all fields, marshes, and when you saw was a storm water everywhere because there was no runoff. It was then Pelizzo, the mayor has become even honorable, to clean up. In memory's also the fact that there is still a chapel there. The water was drained until Madriolo, across the fields. In the days
retreat of the Italians have brought four large-caliber guns, 305: I have a shot at home, vacuum. On the Purgessimo there were 75.
few days before [the retreat] soldiers at one point were all gone from here. "Look, you do not see any more money," said the wonderful people who came to browse with the media that there were then, that there was not even a bicycle. They were gone, they all went to reinforce the lines.
From here the Italian high-caliber guns were firing in the direction of Luico and Matajur. The other replied, but they went wrong and throw all your bullets ended up in camps. They made the holes, but are not able to take our guns that were posted near the shop that sold bread Margaret (but time was of the brothers Busolini, a Beppo, Antonio and another one I can not remember).
The guns were just in the town center. They came one morning. We are going to school: there was a shed, not the school is like now that they made in '35. There were twenty in my class, including boys and girls in first grade. We children went to school one day and one day he went in search of locust (know that the soldiers eat locust), we went in search of bread. Then there was the cavalry horses, there was a lot of people and we were curious to see. [...]
In the house of Margaret said Cencic - Montefosca are Slavs who came from, I think - there in that area, had a polygon. Many cabins. They called on women to carry the powder, then I think they also went on strike. O God, but I do not remember many things. They were of the bags. There were so many fabrics and women were to put this bag of gunpowder to the cannons. The bullet had then as in platelets, as if they were candy.
So we went to see you guys.
In 1917 vintage was a little rough [thin] because there was a drought, and here Friuli if it does not rain a month goodbye corn.
Me and my brother went to get water there, where there is a spring which we called of Bachetti is now called the Madonna , because there is a small chapel behind the pile of wood, and now there are also many young men to take drugs and leave their syringes on the ground, another is the nearby spring and was called to Quain , is a local nickname, then there was another still . There were two three fountains, springs, and was named as the first , second , the third ... Then there was an aqueduct [military]. I remember when they brought the pipe, but the water we drink because we never took her up to Pavia [UD].
Behind the fountain of Bachetti the soldiers had made a hole which led to water the horses, or they would have to go on Natisone. There were these deposits of gunpowder and a few days before the filing of the retreat was on fire, I do not know if a cigarette or why else.
When there was the battle [of Kobarid] the people fled. They came from all sides and Castelmonte from Tribil by all and those small towns when they came here shouting 'Run, run. "
Some people said, "I do not run away, will mica demons! mica are beasts! "
fact my father and brother remained here, while my mom with six others of us, all children - the oldest was 14 years I was seven I - we went on. [...]
We came away, we loaded, I remember that I could not find a shoe, a socket, and so I ran with a single base at the foot tic, tac, tic, tac .. . we loaded a truck.
The soldiers came down, left abandoned, but managed to pull down the guns, I remember that those guns had brought them up with horses, but then I do not know how they have brought down.
From Purgessimo there was a phone that went to the Army Corps that was often or Rosazzo Horn, I think. Then there was also a divisional headquarters in Carrara, near here in the house of a gentleman, whom we called the Humanitarian (later, at the time of the beam).
The soldiers who were down there they said "run away". There was an empty truck and we got there in four or five families on a single truck. I remember there was mounted a old. She was crying and was holding a small child of three years and say 'you're near me, just hold on to her skirts. "
We went to Udine Moimacco directly, but first to Manzano.
I had never seen the light bulbs ... see a red light, a light green.
People would come from Friuli, from Gemona. Everybody knew. Push, push.
We stopped at the station of Udine. First we were sent to the prefecture where they told us: "Go to the station, there are orders to go to the station."
There were carabinieri, confusion, dark. There was only a few red light. The people pushing, I'm lost. Mamma Mia! she cried, "Where is my baby?"
I remember the next morning found me and made me sit on the train and there I was without food, to Bologna.
The stations were always the Red Cross. Gave him a tin of meat or a loaf of bread or a drink.
But how much confusion, many refugees!
We went up to Sessa Aurunca. I remember we went to Rome and it was raining and raining in this car, which was a little bit abandoned, even in rain.
Two of my brothers are gone where you support your bags and slept there. In short, we got down there.
A Sessa Aurunca you went to school. We, as we talked in Friuli, the people there was a wee bit hostile, they told us 'Germans'.
We were in a castle, and two years ago I went over there even if I did not go in that castle.
was the smallest diocese in the world. [...]
The Castle was the center of the country. There were no schools, just on the top: there was a staircase and going up.
But we slept downstairs in a monastery. Underneath there was a power station that worked with the generator but not heating the water, like a locomotive. We get the power with which the country were lighting up at midnight. He was an old town with narrow streets as well.
In this convent we were well prepared to sleep, for every family, and when we arrived we had prepared a lunch. They came to take us by truck to Sparanise, and then we have a nice party in an old church desecrated.
I could not understand their language u Neapolitan , and even now ... here when we heard the Neapolitan soldiers who speak with that emphasis, with that manner of speaking, I liked to hear them speak. The Roman no, I dislike, because they do not even speak with their lips, is not it?
I remember we went to school and my classmate always brought me an apple.
One day we went for a walk with his master. We were in the 28-30 class in second grade and the teacher said, "Bring something to eat for refugees," and everyone wore something, someone an apple, others a bit 'of bread.
My mother woke me in the morning when I had to go to school and before I said, 'Go get the bread. " We had to go on the top of this paese, su per gli scalini. Appena arrivavi là c'era il vigile che ci conosceva e diceva: «Avanti, prima i profughi». Allora c'era sempre qualcuno che protestava: «Accidenti ai profughi, è colpa loro se ci hanno messo la tessera sul pane», come fosse colpa nostra quando in realtà era una cosa nazionale. Dopo portavo a casa il pane e si mangiava quello che c'era.
Comunque non è che si abbia patito la fame, ci si arrangiava.
Eravamo in diversi del nostro paese, tutte famiglie del paese. Eravamo andati giù con i camion e volevamo stare tutti assieme.
Siamo stati là fino in febbraio-marzo del 1918 quando ci hanno detto che chi voleva lavorare, guadagnarsi qualcosa ... perché con il sussidio noi prendevamo una lira e i vecchi due, come si fa a mangiare, vestirsi, con così pochi soldi? ... ci hanno detto che se volevamo lavorare potevamo andare in Lombardia.
Siamo andati a Rezzato, in provincia di Brescia. Il paese è sotto una montagna, ma la ferrovia passa tanto in giù.
Noi bambini si andava a scuola, ma io non sono stato promosso perché sono arrivato in ritardo. Dopo mi è venuta anche la spagnola.
Andavo anche a risponder messa e il prete mi dava una scodella di caffelatte, mi voleva anche bene.
La spagnola per me è consisted of a bit 'of headaches and vomiting. My mom to all those who put us in bed, brought us the mulled wine, a little 'wine. Who went to see that the boy should not drink? and I are also raised. I have seen rather die another boy, who was in front of my house, the only son with his father in front of his grandmother and mother were with him. The boy fell ill and died in two days.
in our family nobody died, indeed, in the village said, "Look, the refugees have led to evil! none of them does not die. "
[There was always a bit 'of mistrust], as now, here are the Bosniaks or Croats, the Slovenes, who ancora sussiste una politica di odio e di rancore, che non vogliono pagare i debiti di guerra, le foibe. Potevano ben pensarci prima, ma hanno aspettato che morisse Tito, per risolvere, ma non si risolve più.
A Rezzato, i nostri paesani hanno fatto sapere che volevano mangiare polenta. Il comune ci ha portato una "caldaia" di rame: si comprava la farina e si faceva polenta col radicchio, polenta e salame. Si mangiava con le mani o col pirü come dicevano i lombardi.
A Sessa Aurunca gli abitanti del paese non mangiavano polenta, erano tutti pecorai.
Sono stato poco tempo fa in quel paese, con mio cognato. Il paese è below, and I said let's see above. But then he did not have time because he wanted to go home in the evening.
A Rezzato sent them in a large brewery there before arriving at Brescia, one of those well-known, and these guys had finished the fifth grade went to work for two shillings a day.
Tape 1996 / 3 - Side B
Di Sessa Aurunca complex in the memory is positive. He was good people ... then there is always hostile. They said the women, a priest said, "You could stay in your countries."
A Sessa Aurunca Purgessimo there were six families, who were loaded on trucks, on the only truck. We were always together. 15 trucks were Ter Fiat , with solid tires. It was a big truck, there were so many people. After the war, 15-18, in the next war, I was a soldier in Sassari and we still had them included in our company.
[The truck Ter 15] we had been sealed tight in the foot. Fend.
We have not taken anything away from home. just a little 'stuff to dress up. Someone has managed to bring a pair of sheets, a change of underwear, a bit 'of money or some memory expensive.
A Rezzato, was with us the husband of a sister of my mother, and there were only nine. There was a guy who went to work on a farm, there Rezzato.
[...]
We returned home in March of 1919, and in a house here in the center of town there were about thirty prisoners Austrians and Hungarians, all together.
Prisoners have exhume Italian soldiers who had died on the hill during the retreat were 11 cases.
During the retreat [Italian soldiers] had come not from Stupizza, through the mountains but did not know our [...] even the streets.
told me that my father had wanted to stay in the country, what happened that time. To all Italians in flight cabins burned, my father went there and took away that we still have four plates.
There was a flamethrower, and there was a school here in Purgessimo flamethrower, and I remember it was young and went to see.
My father said that the soldiers have come down ... An Italian was shot. He stayed there for two days on the ground and called "help," but no one dared to pick it up for fear that there was a spy or someone on call and so è morto. Gli hanno messo una croce, che c'era ancora là nel '19. L'hanno sotterrato proprio là, dove c'è quella catasta di legna vicino alla fontana della Madonna.
Lassù sulla montagna invece erano in undici, i morti. Erano su per la montagna, si vedeva la croce. Quando li hanno raccolti li hanno portati un po' nel cimitero di Cividale e un po' in quello di Udine.
A mio padre i tedeschi che stavano scendendo dietro alla gran massa degli italiani hanno chiesto:
«Dove sono gli italiani? Dove sono?»
«Eh, sono giù di là», indicando Cividale, e l'hanno lasciato andare.
My father, Antonio, was '62 the last century.
My father had wanted to stay home with his son (Antonio too, class 1904). He attended for a while 'the great mass who fled but later returned straight back, because he had the cows home.
upon a cross [burial] even down here, just outside the village, then there were two other [...] on the road.
says my father, who saw the Austrian troops to come forward, the captain came down on horseback, and there was an Italian soldier in front of them ran and ran, but Cividale had blown up half the deck. The soldier was unable to pass, every now and then came out to see if he could find the way to go ... and that a German targeted him and he did it outside. The officer pulled his gun and killed the soldier who had killed the Italian.
[...]
During the years of occupation, there was a monsignor in Cividale dean, was named Liva and he knew German. It came as a sponsor of the interests of parishioners, to resolve issues, even the robbery, because there were also middle-class that went in the house of the neighbor.
My father had a ten or twelve pieces, including pots and various branches, buried them, because il rame era ricercato per le spolette delle bombe. Ma andavano a vedere dove la terra era mossa: erano i borghesi, i friulani stessi, gente del paese. Se non era di questo paese era di un paese vicino, oppure era gente che era scappata, disertori, gente che si nascondeva e che si metteva in combutta con questi civili perché avevano bisogno di soldi.
Mo padre aveva una mucca e ha sempre fatto il vitello. Faceva 24 litri di latte quando era fresca di parto, per due-tre mesi; dopo ne faceva dieci, undici. L'ha tenuta per tanti anni che era venuta tanto vecchia questa bestia. L'ha presa e l'ha portata dove ci sono quelle rocce là, sulla montagna, ma erano quelli del paese, che venivano a vedere e ti facevano la spia e [volevano money], "or I'll sue you."
There were commissions for distribution, then as the time of the partisans, and if there was someone who had hatred for you ... without knowing why and for what you killed.
The people gave a million crowns for a liter of milk. They were big money as handkerchiefs. My father one day said, "but what do they want here," took the crown and has thrown on the fire. Everyone was shocked, "Oh, Antonio " partners " - meaning blind, the nickname - Antonio burned the money, which is rich." But then when he went to make the switch did not give him anything. Go, go, they told him.
came upon a young man, a deserter who failed to cross the Piave. With him were two other and have remained hidden at home. My father looked at them and just after the war have returned home. One was in San Dona di Piave, down there. I have not seen them, because when I returned from refugee had already left. There were spies, and people are jealous [...] came the German soldiers with fixed bayonets to look for them, but never have been discovered.
the other two deserters, one was a native of Mantua, came from a military hospital because he had caught syphilis and then died.
They also say, So say the old, there was a command division that was safe during the retreat. From the house that you see up ahead on the hill, came down with the mule carrying the safe of the regiment. It is now an inn, from Mosolo , called the inn to Mezzastrada , on pilgrimages to Castelmonte. The Bible says that the Italians have left the safe. They buried with the understanding that they would return when they divided the capital, because the key had led him away in the military. They came back then the military, but where was safe? What's the tavern said, "I do not know you, I do not know anything. " Since that time the tavern began to march well, the house has been repaired, they've fixed everything well, and people became aware of these things ...
Purgessimo The country has neither been bombed or destroyed and had caught fire just something ... When Luico fired from here, all the bullets gone in the marshland, there were a lot of holes.
During the year employment was quite poor. Starve no, but yes misery. [...]
When we returned in 1919 to March, we're not even gone to school because they had bombed the school because there we were put inside a store of bombs. In the rest of the country was only a few barn was burned.
Monsignor Liva This served as a peacemaker. More than once my father said, "Unless you bring the milk to the hospital to sue the German authorities, I'll put in concentration." My father answered him: "But if I do not." Why does the cow milk, but those three or four months ago after not more, eh! And if we make a liter of milk while eating too. [...]
Everyone was trying to get by. Next to us a man had eleven cows. Everyone who came, cut the chain and carried off the cow. It was not the German who was stealing, but The locals then you sell the meat on the black market, as was also here in this war.
In those days of the retreat was a hubbub of Kobarid, will stay here in the country even eighty people, who were limited to two hundred. [...]
There were so many weapons! God how many weapons there! Munitions of all parties. In a place then have blown up in 20-21. The rest of us guys went to see, was along the ditches, it warned the teacher and the teacher warned the police. There were those bombs to handle what they called "the ladies", or those others who called it "sipe". [...]
The pastor Purgessimo [...] Many had fled to this side of the country they fled with the horse. Loaded on a cart the pig, and then said that the street would have killed him.
beginning in the country and everywhere there was a large waste and then, after the first period, came the stationing of troops who could not find anything and they were angry.
told me an old man who lived in my backyard that 1917 was a good vintage of wine. It was not Tocai or Verduzzo, that time. It was Malvasia, American wine, but then it was enough to make wine, black or white it was. They came down the Germans and tam, tam, tam in casks: out of the wine. First did drink the master, and said that in this old wine cellar on the ground was knee high.
Someone had the pork which was now almost ready. My uncle who had a stye in your hand, there on the doorstep, was seen checking out the pork and quartered. They did cooking, eating and drinking and then many died because they were for months who are facing difficulties in line up there. After blamed the villagers and they wanted to burn the country ...
When we had to escape [...] someone said to have gone up in Manzano, someone a little more down to Basagliapenta, Codroipo, but then I came home with the pipes in lot, unable to pass the Tagliamento.
[...] In the beginning, just declared war, there was some stuff! [...] A Sanguarzo was a row of ovens and bread made for everyone, but mountains of bread.
