We were very fortunate last week to be counted as honorable Sommocolonian’s
when we all celebrated Alfredo’s birthday. Alfredo and his family constitute the
majority of habitants at Sommocolonia and we are thankful to be considered as
members of his prestigious family.
Celebrations apart we were sat next to Bill and Solace, Solace a fellow author but
also one of the relentless people creating the driving force behind getting The
Buffalo Soldiers the recognition they deserved for their part in World War II, not
only here in Italy but in her native homeland America, and I cannot wait to read
her book when it has been published.
Getting the Buffalo soldiers and the partisan movement of the area the
international recognition they so rightly deserved is monumental in itself. If the
Allies had lost control of this small hilltop stronghold and then pushed forward
to attack the Germans at Lima the outcome could have been totally different, so
we are right to honor and support such a righteous cause.
They haven’t stopped there and are also working tirelessly to get a new museum
and bar built something I am sure that anyone who has visited the historical hill
top town will agree is long overdue. When I have walking guests I always advise
them to take the walk from Renaio or Barga to Sommocolonia and for me it is
such a shame that there isn’t a local bar, a friendly historian to greet them on
their arrival.
We have often visited Sommocolonia and Richard has always wanted to visit the
museum there, but every time we have been there it was shut with no outward
sign of when or if it was open. During Alfredo’s birthday dinner we were
introduced to Massimo who helped organize the museum as it stands today and
the key holder, and so we arranged to go and see the museum the following day.
We hadn’t really thought about what we might see there, but we were surprised
at the amount of memorabilia there is. At the moment it is a small room, which
I think adds to the atmosphere filled with some of the most moving war time
artifacts. There is an original woolen coat found in a ladies basement which
would have been warn by one of the Buffalo soldiers, German soldiers boots,
bags, bottles that would have been used to hold the morphine to ease the pain of
wounded soldiers.
Posters warming children of the dangers of unexploded bombs, magazines
supporting the partisan movements, comics and pictures of the devastation
caused by the heavy artillery attacks, not to mention a photograph of the Buffalo
soldiers many of whom did not return to their homeland, they fought for the
rights of others, they knew what it was like to be a persecuted race. They
sacrificed their lives for a country and people they did not know.
There are countless books, magazines and videos one of which had some original
footings of the battle at Sommocolonia, a strategic stronghold originally held by
the Germans, to be taken and held by these brave soldiers who lost many of their
friends in battle. I was even fortunate enough to have been loaned three of the
videos and a book which will help me no end in my next book writing venture,
a novel about a small cell of partisans operating out of the mountains above
Renaio, its called Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, watch this space.
Sommocolonia steeped in wartime history, rebuilt after the devastation of war
to revel in its regal position overlooking Barga and Gallicano and when you see
the photographs in the museum and see the bomb site you will see the challenge
to the people and soldiers living there at that time. Their courage and skills
mirrored in the majesty of this beautiful place, as Sommocolonia was pieced back
together to remain the crowing glory of the mountainside.
Massimo himself a mine of interesting information, only too happy to spend
time talking about the artifacts and pieces of history passed down to him by
inhabitants of the hill top community. Massimo gives his time freely, if he is
working he will arrange for the key to be left, but please support this amazing
piece of history, leave a donation and help them to raise the funds for the new
museum.
See the proposed design on this link, not at all what I was expecting
So if you have some free time, give Massimo a call, visit and support them,
so that they can have their new museum and so that we all can never forget
the devastation that war brings with it. We must NEVER FORGET, we cannot
imagine in our world of plenty what any of these people went through, fear,
hunger, and in many instances death. War should be eradicated from our world
then we could truly call ourselves civilized human beings.
Article by Sensone