Ciao Italia

I just noticed that I've had visits to my page from practically every mainland European nation, save one. Italy. La Bella Italia. home of some of the most delicious food on Earth. The place where it all started. The cradle of civilization. Birthplace of pizza, lasagne, and manicotti. Yum!
The reason this jumps out at me is my Grandfather, Len, who passed on in 1994. He was captured at Tobruk in WWII by the Italians, and in the late 60's after being made redundant he decided to take some time and write about his war experiences. My sister and I were very little, and I think he wanted to write it all down so that we could grow up, read it and understand it. I read it several times when it was still just typed sheets of paper in a binder, and told him many times that it was very good and he ought to get it published. 
He never did, so after his death my Grandmother decided to get it published privately. The result was "Laughing We Ran" and it looked like this:

In it he describes how after his capture he was taken to a prison camp in Macerata, Italy. One day after the Italians capitulated (changed sides) they awoke to find the camp deserted. He and some friends decided to strike inland, towards the hills, and there they befriended the Italian peasant farmers and stayed with them for a year. It's a touching story, with some moments very sad and others downright hilarious. If you want to get a hold of a copy, email my Mum at nanchrisuk@aol.com for details and prices. Right. Shameless plug over.


So come on Italy - let's hear from you!