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Oral history recording with Nicesio Fantini.Recorded as part the Italian Memories in Wales project (2008-10), delivered by ACLI-ENAIP and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Part 2 of 7 (AV 11403 - 11409).

00:52 Although there was an armistice on 8 September 1943, it didn’t extend to his village, as he remembers the Germans threatening to kill his younger brother because he was picking something up off the ground. Then a few days later he went down to Cividale (the main town), where he met the allies and everybody was cheering them. Then Nicesio emigrated to Wales, but he’s still in touch with his fellow villagers. He remembers that in spite of the war he had a good time. He was happy. They were poor and there was not much to eat, but the food was delicious.

07:00 People used to play the harmonium in the evenings, and at night his friends used to serenade the young girls outside their homes. They used to walk two or three kilometres to get fresh water, and when they came back everybody was happy to drink the fresh water from the mountains. It was a treat - nowadays the water from the mountains is not drinkable any more. During the summer festival on St Helen’s day everybody in the village went outside to celebrate. It was a treat for the boys to go out, and they would eat watermelon and dance, and that was a treat as well. In those days everything was good.