A Father's Return After Five Years of Silence

When Italy entered the Second World War in June 1940, many Italian men were sent far from home. Lucia Carriero's father was deployed to East Africa, then part of Italian East Africa, which included Ethiopia. There, he worked as a foreman overseeing local laborers on construction projects. Lucia later recalled him telling her that he helped build a school during that time.

In 1941, British and Allied forces defeated Italian troops in East Africa. Large numbers of Italian soldiers were captured and taken prisoner by the British. Lucia's father was among them. For the next five years, his family heard nothing directly from him. They learned only through newspapers that Italian soldiers were being held as prisoners of war, but they had no way of knowing whether he was alive or dead.

During those years, Lucia lived with her family in Brecciarola. One day, after five years of uncertainty, his return came without warning. Lucia was at a public fountain collecting water when a barefoot, emaciated man approached her and gently touched her arm. She asked him what he wanted. He answered, "Do you know Filomena Cieri?" In that instant, Lucia realized the stranger was her father.

She ran home to alert her mother. When they approached him outside the house, they saw how much he had suffered. Years of captivity had left him weak and barely recognizable. Overcome with emotion, Lucia cried out, "For the love of God, save my father! Give me something for him." She apologized to him, saying, "I'm sorry that you're naked."

The family washed him, put him to bed, and began nursing him back to health. At first, they had no clothing to give him, and neighbors stepped in, bringing what they could. Lucia later remembered how many people showed kindness to her and her family during that time. Her father remained bedridden for a while as his strength slowly returned.

Although he survived the war and came home, he was never the same. The years he spent as a prisoner of war changed him deeply. He became a quieter, more reserved man, carrying the weight of what he had endured for the rest of his life.

He lived for many years after his return and died around 1973. For Lucia, the memory of that day, seeing her father return after years of not knowing whether he was alive, remained one of the most emotional moments of her life, a lasting reminder of loss, endurance, and the lasting scars of war.