Alessandro Gualtieri lives and was born in Milan, Italy, in 1964. He is a scholar of the Great War and has recently published a comprehensive essay on the subject (“La Grande Guerra 1914-1918”) and the exclusive war diary of a WWI Italian infantryman (“Dal Piave alla prigionia”). The latter has been translated by the author and is available worldwide as “An Italian forever”.
Private Settimio Damiani’s tales
from the manslaughters
of the Isonzo River, Caporetto
and the Great War
Recently the diary of a World War I Italian soldier in the front line trenches of Italy in WW I was opened for the world to see. It has been in the safe keeping of his American born daughter who could not understand the Italian writing. Today, an Italian scholar has translated and published this remarkable insight into the real life of a brave, hard working soldier fighting in hopeless combat.
Settimio Damiani was one of only 6 percent of the Italian population who could actually read and write in the early 20th century. Even more rare, was owning a pen or pencil in the midst of combat. Settimio gave up crackers in exchange for a pen to write in his diary. (Think of it as a meal for a hard working man fed almost starving rations) The diary delivers the story of the irrepressible spirit of this young man, who returned briefly to Italy from America, knowing he would be drafted. Settimio was sent to the front lines to repel the German/Austrian attack. Everyone knew the Italians were outmanned, out gunned and lambs for the slaughter. Day after day, he fought to save his comrades or to bury them, weakened, worried, and dedicated to do his duty.
In America, he eventually sent for his wife and 6 year old son Eleuterio (Ted), and had 3 more children, Cesare (Chester), Gaetano (Guy), and Nicolena (Lena). His daughter kept the diary of her quiet father. It is ironical that years after his death, she is hearing his story through the devoted work of an Italian scholar, Alessandro Gualtieri and her nephew, Tim Damiani, devoted to the family history who contacted the scholar with the copy of the diary.
Alessandro Gualtieri, co-authoring the book with another WWI Italian historian and journalist, Giovanni Dalle Fusine, finalized his research and iconographic material with a specialized publisher from Brescia, Italy, which has published the 168 pages book in January 2009.
The 2010 schedule of presentations of the book included one official event, hosted and supported by the Municipality and the Italian Authorities of Acquaviva Picena and San Benedetto del Tronto, and a major promotion event in Chicago.
For more information and other press releases,
please contact Alessandro Gualtieri.
Alessandro Gualtieri is the editor and webmaster of a comprehensive website entirely dedicated to the First World War , on-line at: www.lagrandeguerra.net, and the founder and chairman of a private association of researchers and historians of the Great War.
