Angelo Grassia - Finally We Are Here

This story has upset me, it has changed my life.

In August, I returned to Formia for my summer holiday. The first thing I did was to go to the huckster in Gaeta to Sabatino, I had not seen him since a year.

When I saw him, I showed him the book I had written and I told him the whole story. He listened incredulously but carefully and finally he hugged me kissing me: since then we have become good friends. Before leaving, I left him twenty copies of the book, so that he could give it to his customers.

The following day, Sabatino called me and he said:

"Angelo, come to me, I found the last things of the family of Claudia, I'll put them aside".

Hearing those words, I left everything I was doing and I ran to him.

Sabatino made me find the last postcards he had found in storage and they were all those Claudia had received from Vittorio, some 45-turn discs that surely belonged to Virginia and other various papers.

He told me: "It's better you keep these things, I'll give them to you".

I greatly appreciated his gesture, I thanked him and I rushed home to examine the things he had given me.

After about 10 days I get the following message on Messenger:

"Mr. Grassia good afternoon. Last night Sabatino gave me your book. The story of Vittorio and Claudia has also made dream myself! I have a wonderful ring of Claudia bought at Easter and a postcard that Vittorio wrote to her in 1939 just before marrying. Now I have finished reading your novel and I would like to thank you! I drank it, beautiful, thank you very much. For August holiday I'm out but I'll be back next week and I'll finish the month in Gaeta. Are you at Serapo at the sea? If you like it, we can greet us! Thanks again. Laura "

I was very happy and I replied her we would certainly meet at the end of the month.

During the period of mid-August I was also busy: I had to accompany my daughter to Milan, and, finding myself very close to the house of Gianguido, I took the opportunity to combine business with pleasure. I phoned him and I asked if, finding myself in those parts, I could pass by him, so as to know each other closely. He replied he was very happy and he would host me for dinner at his home in a village near Como. I was very happy and that day, before going to Gianguido I anticipated the departure of a couple of hours: it was my firm intention to go first to Como to visit the place where Vittorio and Claudia had met.

When I arrived in Como, the first thing I did was to go to Via Indipendenza and precisely to Claudia's house, the house number had changed during the years and it was previously communicated to me by Gianguido. I walked backwards and forwards a couple of times and finally I decided to stop under Claudia's house for a few minutes. While I stood in contemplation admiring the house, imagining Vittorio and Claudia entering and leaving the front door, I had a flash of genius. I took my mobile phone from my trouser pocket, I connected it to YouTube and, making a certain tribute to Claudia, I started the video containing the poem dedicated to her and recited by the beautiful voice of Diego De Nadai, specifically this:

To my Claudia

Five years of love

- in good harmony –

We fulfil today

oh my Claudia!

Already five years

Are passed since the day

we said happy

each one yes ...

Again today,

I repeat you “yes”...

to have you close

I swear I am happy!

Forget a few

Bicker of an hour ...

and like that day

you repeat me again

the sweet word

of faith and love

that made happy

every day my heart ...

... and we begin happy

the lustrum is coming

loving us so much

by loving us ..

Our cares,

with tender affection,

turn them all

to our little angel!

Two names in the heart

are now written to me

and only death

makes them prescribed

We follow the street

of our Destiny

the good God assists us

in our way! ..

However, being the crowded street, I lowered the volume. Arrived at the third stanza and precisely at the point: "still today I repeat “yes” to you", the bells of a church very close began to play at party so as to cover the sound of the poetry. I looked at the time: it was 3:50 pm, it is strange, I thought, do the bells ring at this time? I had a moment of loss. I did not believe my ears! I recovered from the amazement, I interpreted this sound of bells as a sign of gratitude Claudia had wanted to send me, for this noble and sweet gesture accomplished by me, to bring under her house the beautiful poetry given to her by her beloved husband.

Sometimes I ask to myself: "Will not it have been the same Vittorio, to push me unconsciously to make this gesture of love for his sweet Claudia, to make her perhaps forgive him something and, to let her know he is still in love with her?"

It is a question I unfortunately cannot find an answer.

After this simple reflection, I headed for the church from which the sound of the bells came. To my surprise, I discovered that it was the San Fedele one, in which Claudia and Vittorio marked their marriage.

"What a strange coincidence," I thought.

I decided to take a walk for Como. From Via Indipendenza, I went to Via Vittorio Emanuele.

At the end of this road, before arriving at the Dome, I noticed on the right the famous newspaper kiosk, in front of which Claudia and Vittorio met. In a moment my mind returned to the 40s, I imagined the Como of that time and I seemed to witness in person, at their first meeting. I passed the Dome and I headed under the Portici of Via Plinio, in those years, meeting place for the young.

It was as if I were doing a sort of pilgrimage: I went on pre-established routes to pay homage to Claudia and Vittorio.

I did not realize the time had flown in a hurry. Gianguido was waiting for me, it was time to reach him.

Seeing me he was very happy, as I too, also because he was the direct nephew of Claudia, as a son of his brother, and so, for me, it was a great joy to be able to talk to a person very close to Claudia . I had dinner at his home, he was very kind and he told me many things about this family, and I listened to him with interest and pleasure. At the end we said goodbye, with the promise we would meet again as soon as possible.

Saturday 19 August, while I was returning from Milan, Laura wrote me the following message:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Grassia, how are you? If you are on the Viareggio beach we can say hello later, I'll take my walk and I show you the postcard Vittorio sent to Claudia in 1939 ".

I replied: "I'm sorry Laura, but right now I'm coming back from Milan, tomorrow I have to go to Rome and so if it's all right for you we can meet next Monday morning at 9 at Bar Bazzanti, so we have breakfast together".

She, a little sorry for this long wait, replied: "Ok, Monday at Bar Bazzanti".

The next day I went to Rome early, because I had to accompany my wife to my daughter Daria's house. When I arrived in Viale Gorizia, I made her come out of the car in a hurry and I said: "We'll talk later, when you're finished, I'll pick you up."

I immediately went to Via Livorno, under Vittorio house and I began to take a few steps along the road. Sant’Orsola Church is just in front of Vittorio's house, where Virginia and Anna Maria made their first communion. I noticed the door was open and, at 10:30 am, the church was deserted. I went in, I went to the sacristy and I addressed myself to the man in charge to have a mass in suffrage of Luigi and Vittorio.

The person to whom I had addressed myself, showing me the calendar, told me: "Do you want a particular date or is it okay any date? I ask you this, as we have a possibility for the next 11:00 mass. "