Ok, do I write about missing cans of Clam Chowder? Or, do I write about how Cooper has learned to pretend to pee in order to get a treat? Or do I write about a terrible story. Sorry folks, I am going for the tragic story. This is not for the faint of heart, and you may want to have a glass of wine if you read it.
A family friend is staying at our family’s house in Tuscany. While he is there he decided to check out the memorial at a small town nearby called Santa Ana. During World War II, when the Italians surrendered to the Allies, the German Army felt betrayed and started taking retributions against the Italian civilians. They went into this little community of Santa Ana where the Catholic Church held Sunday Mass. The men were mainly at war and so the only people attending Mass were mainly women and children. The German soldiers went in on a Sunday morning and massacred the entire community. Since my father was there and working for the American army, I have always known about this atrocity. However, I didn’t know there is a picture on the wall of the memorial of most of the people who were killed. The friend sent us the picture and it is so sad, because the photo includes the photos of all these children and many of them were part of large families. I know this is old news, and if anyone wants I can show them the photo, but it just reminds me of how terrible war is and it just makes me feel for those poor people in Ukraine.