Customer Reviews

Trapped in Tuscany: Liberated by the Buffalo Soldiers

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A retired lawyer and former intelligence officer. This personal memoir describes the six years that an American teenage boy spent with his Italian American parents caught by the outbreak of World War II in their native town in Tuscany. It is an indispensible contribution to the grass-roots, social history of wartime Fascist Italy. It's filled with the amazing details and realities of daily life, reflecting an intimate insight into the social life and customs of a small Tuscan town north of Florence. The story starts prosaically with an explanation of why the family has returned to Italy. It becomes an absorbing story building to a dramatic climax. The German Army attempts to "relocate" the villagers acting in preparation of the German defensive Gothic Line north of the Arno. The villagers escape by walking all night on trails through mountainous terrain to reach an Apennine valley probed by advancing American forces. Those forces are the all-black American "Buffalo Soldiers" of the famous 92nd Division. These dramatic events are told in a straightforward narrative style reminiscent of Hemmingway. The account is informed by the seemingly photographic memory of the man the boy grew to be. The maps and background presentation reflect the training of author Bertini's adult interlude in American Army Intelligence. It is a must read for those who want to know what is was like to be caught in the harsh realities of a war zone, and for Italian-Americans and others would enjoy a first-hand social history of survival in the Italy of World War II. I think Sophia Loren, remembering her childhood wartime experiences, would empathize and recommend this book. It is well organized with an index, a bibliographic reference and 26 pertinent photo illustrations. /s/ J. A. Giordano, Stanford AB, JD, '56.

It was wonderful to read about all the Italian customs and all the normal, everyday routines and activities in an Italian village so many years ago from the eyes of a child. Children catch all the important details that escape us as adults when we are so preoccupied with work, etc. Lots of Tulio's stories were familiar to me, as similar stories have been told to me by my mother who grew up in Italy although she was fortunate enough to be in America during the war. Tulio's experiences during the German occupation and liberation were incredible and are an important part of the history of Italy during that time period. Anyone interested in Italian heritage and in the activities of WWII would find this book to be of great interest.

I have been reading up on the war in Italy, and this story was a refreshing change from the narratives of battles big and small. I recently visited Diecimo on my way past Lucca, saw the house of Tullio, and spoke with a local who was also a boy during the war. This story helped me understand from another perspective the incredible damage done to the Italian people by the Nazi forces and to the infrastructure by both Germans and Allies.

In that ominous time immediately preceding the outbreak of WWII, many people found themselves on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean. To return to the United States was a difficult if not impossible task for many families because of the prevailing political situation. Tullio Bertini's "Trapped in Tuscany" is a chronicle of adventures experienced by a native born Bostonian forced to live six years of his life with is parents in Facist Italy. The pre- and middle teen years are turbulent for any youngster, and Bertini introduces us to his located in the mountainous region of Tuscany (locale of the German Gothic Line). Making an adjustment to a new culture in the little town of Diecimo and its environs is at times both exciting and adventurous. Unaccustomed deprivations abound. A new language must be learned, adjustments to transportation tackled, and schooling (with Facist undertones)changed--obstacles all, which the youngster embraces with courage and humor. Despite the political turmoil, the reader vicariously experiences a youth's awakening to the early teen years in a positive mood and at the same time gains much insight into everyday life of a small Tuscan town. The book is definitely a "good read" for those of Italian heritage, and, for that matter,anyone who had relatives growing up in war-torn Europe.

Mr. Bertini's story is a very insightful account of the Nazi occupation, of the eroding Fascist Party of Mussolini, of the heroic effort of the Resistance, and of the liberation of his family's village by the Allies. It's also a narrative of Tuscan village life and Italian family traditions. His descriptions of various crafts of the villagers, methods of farming by the contadini, and the processing and preparation of the typical products of the region are incomparable. I have read Trapped in Tuscany three times and have visited Diecimo after each reading, to relive the events of the war and Tullio's extraordinary boyhood adventure.

[...]This personal memoir, describing the six years that an American boy spent with his parents caught by the outbreak of World War II in their native town in Tuscany, is an indespensable contribution to the grass-roots cultural history of wartime Fascist Italy. It is filled with amazing details and realities of daily life, reflecting an intimate insight into the social life and customs of a small Tuscan town north of Florence. The story starts slowly and prosaically with an explanation of why the family has returned to Italy. It becomes an absorbing story building to a dramatic climax of how three hundred villagers, faced with the attemped "relocation" by the German Army acting in preparation of the German defensive Gothic Line north of the Arno, escape by walking all night on trails through mountainous terrain to reach an Apennine valley probed by advancing American forces, the all-black American "Buffalo Soldiers" of the famous 92nd Division. This is a family history as well as an adventure story of dramatic events told in a straightforward narrative style reminiscent of Hemmingway. It is filled with the details of the village life of a teenager, but informed by the seemingly photographic memory of the man the boy grew to be. The maps and the background presentation reflect the training of author Bertini's adult interlude in American Army Intelligence. It is a must read for those who want to know what is was like to be caught in the harsh realities of a war zone, and for Italian-Americans and others who would enjoy a sharply focussed, social history of survival in the Italy of World War II. I think Sophia Loren, remembering her childhood wartime experiences, would empathize with and recommend this book. It is well organized with an index, a bibliographic reference and twentysix pertinent black & white photo illustrations.[...]

In that ominous time immediately preceding the outbreak of WWII, many people found themselves on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean. To return to the United States was a difficult if not impossible task for many families because of the prevailing political situation. Tullio Bertini's "Trapped in Tuscany" is a chronicle of adventures experienced by a native born Bostonian forced to live six years of his life with is parents in Facist Italy. The pre- and middle teen years are turbulent for any youngster, and Bertini introduces us to his located in the mountainous region of Tuscany (locale of the German Gothic Line). Making an adjustment to a new culture in the little town of Diecimo and its environs is at times both exciting and adventurous. Unaccustomed deprivations abound. A new language must be learned, adjustments to transportation tackled, and schooling (with Facist undertones)changed--obstacles all, which the youngster embraces with courage and humor. Despite the political turmoil, the reader vicariously experiences a youth's awakening to the early teen years in a positive mood and at the same time gains much insight into everyday life of a small Tuscan town. The book is definitely a "good read" for those of Italian heritage, and, for that matter, anyone who had relatives growing up in war-torn Europe.

Tullio Bertini's "Trapped in Tuscany" is an accurate account of life in Diecimo in the period of WWII. I was there. I met Tullio when he came to my hometown in 1939 and we have been friends ever since. His recounting of the many vignettes of life in our town are both accurate and moving. Tullio's WWII experiences brought back many memories as his experiences are very similar to mine. I recommend "Trapped in Tuscany" to all interested in Italian life and culture.

Tullio Bertini's "Trapped in Tuscany" is a fascinating look at life in an Italian mountain village during World War II Nazi occupation. Bertini's story mixes the details of life in the tiny Italian village of Diecimo, with the ominous political and military events of the period. Just 9 years old, Bertini, with his mother and father, travel to Italy from Boston in 1939, but quickly find themselves trapped in Tuscany when his father suffers a heart attack and is too sick to return to the U.S Betini's subsequent account of his adventures in the little village of Diecimo covers immense, fascinating ground, from the preparation of his favorite pasta tordelli, to his family's efforts to prevent his conscription by the Nazis, and the German preparations for defense along the so-called Gothic line.

This is a great book. The author does not write with the touch of a professional but it is because of this that the book is such of gold mine! It is penned with a down-to-earth style. Books like this give one great insight into the everyday happenings during war time which are seldom captured by professional historians, whose goal is to capture the greater scheme of events. To learn about a great event or crisis, you must read the works of historians. However, to fully understand such things, you must compliment these works with books that present common, everyday humanity in such circumstances.

Tullio Bertini performed a great service by showing us slices of real life that few in this life are privy to experience. The author shows that children in times of war desire what they want during times of peace; they want to make friends, play games, learn things and so on, irrespective of the culture. The author shows the hardship, camaraderie and bravery exhibited in times of great crisis. A good example is where the area priest was able to save 300 people from deportation by leading them to a safe haven. Another example is the story of a priest who hid Jews from the Germans and Fascists. This chronicle demonstrates a common human bond among people, a bond which leadership tries to destroy for its own warped reasons but in the final analysis never can.

Molte Grazie Signore Bertini per il vostro capolavoro!