Ausilia Villani

Ausilia lives in a remote area on the edge of the woods, a place that, immediately after the Armistice, becomes ideal for hiding escaped prisoners.

She describes her experience in these terms:

I did for them everything a mother would have done for her own son hunted by the police, opening my door to them whenever they needed it. Many times, I had to give up my meagre ration of bread to give it to them, eating only potatoes myself.

They came to my home to shave and to get some rest when, weary from life in the woods, they felt the need to relax and be around friendly people. As for me, I tried to keep their clothes clean and to understand all those needs they couldn’t put into words.

When they were discovered by the fascist police and managed to escape through the window of a nearby house, I went through moments of terrible anxiety.

They called me mom with deep gratitude, and I was glad because I knew they did it out of true affection.

One of them in particular, George, gave me his address when he left and told me that one day he would come back to visit me.

When he left, I felt the absence of someone dear to me, but I was happy when he finally wrote to say he had made it back to his family—happy because, with that letter, he showed he hadn’t forgotten what I had done for him.