Via Principe Amadeo and the River Po

“There are many memories from my childhood,” my mother responds to my query. “One that comes to mind is when I'd sit on the stone steps outside Nonna's lavanderia-My grandmother's dry-cleaning shop, located at Via Principe Amadeo 49. I'd watch people walk by and wonder where they were going. That was before and after the war, of course. During the war, it was too dangerous. German soldiers would parole on foot, or their tanks would halt on the bridge, and boom their guns.”

With this information, I determined to follow my mother's footsteps and her experiences as retold in the award-winning book, GOODBYE TO Italia. This is the first of four blogs during January and February 2019, that recounts my recent travel experiences.

With my family, we made our way to the apartment block in which my mother grew up, and where she met my father, at Via Principe Amadeo 49 in Torino (Turin), Northern Italy. During my recent visit, it was apparent that there has been an influx of wealth into the area, as restaurants and shops abound and have replaced some of the ground floor apartments. Nevertheless, some things remain the same.

The two images are: Me standing outside the doorway to no.49 Via Principe Amadeo; it is not the same as it was 69 years ago and sadly, graffiti peppers the walls but, there is a sense of age and presence to that doorway. The other, is a night image of the bridge that spans the River Po with the awe-inspiring Gran Madre di Dio Church glowing magically. Yet, this same bridge has dark connotations, as this is where the German tanks positioned themselves, threatening any who came near.

Marisa Parker - Author www.marisaparkerauthor.com