This is a conversation with Agostino Bianchi; he came from Fara Filiorum Petri, he died in January 2017 and he lived during the period of the Second World War.

When did you take part to the partisan group?

Agostino: Between the 8th and the 9th of September 1943 I left Udine and, travelling by train and walking, in November I arrived in Abruzzo. In this period I entered into a partisan group; they predicted the arrival of the Allies within 15-30 days and they wanted to help them in the figth against the Germans.

How many people were in your group?

Agostino: There wasn't a precise number: we were sometimes 70, sometimes 30. There were persons from Bari, Benevento, Avellino and all the cities that were freed with the help of the Anglo-Americans.

How was the group organized?

Agostino: There was a chief and the group's name was 'Compagnia Majella', divided between Casoli, the Majella mountain and Pennapiedimonte. We travelled during the night and we controlled all the lands; there was an exchange of information with other groups and we thought some plots to ostacolate the Germans; but we had old weapons of the First World War and we were a small group, which lasted 3-4 months.

Did you know some Anglo-Americans?

Agostino: In this period some English planes fell in our lands and they remained on the mountains; a lot of families hosted the Allies and, at the end of the war, the American government gave us documents and money as a prize. I went to Venezuela and I worked there with that money.

Text written by Nicholas Di Marco (3rd year Lyceum)