Talk in English: The Girl with a Peach, Courage & Compassion in Wartime Tuscany

THE GIRL WITH A PEACH: COURAGE AND COMPASSION IN WARTIME TUSCANY, lecture in English by Anne Copley.  British Institute Library, Lungarno Guicciardini 9.  6 pm.  Admission: €15.  Free on Zoom (doors open at 6 pm, voluntary donation welcome): https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqcuqrrD4sG9IPIxvpTk4kUS3Z9YFAY2hf

In September 1943 the biggest mass prison breakout in history occurred when Italy  signed an armistice with the Allies, providing an opportunity for 50,000 Allied POWs to make their escape from prison camps all over Italy. Huge numbers quietly merged into the surrounding countryside, with little idea as to what to do next or of the dangers they faced.

Perhaps surprisingly they were welcomed by the local populace, often the poorest section of Italian society – the contadini – who took them into their homes and sheltered them from harm for up to 18 months as Italy was slowly liberated by the Allies.

Based on original research including interviews with POWs, POWs’ families, and families of their Italian helpers, Anne Copley’s  new book “The Girl with a Peach” tells this unique story from the perspective of the ordinary soldier, and the local Italians who risked death to protect them. In this talk she will focus on one soldier’s experience of being hidden in the village of Montebenichi, Arezzo.

Presented in partnership with the Monte San Martino Trust, which works to commemorate the brave Italians who risked their lives to shelter the ragged young men who turned up on their doorstep.