I lived in Casina Tozzi in the square. On the ground floor we had set up an office for Azione Cattolica. When the Germans came they occupied the house.

After they blew up the houses, I went to hide in a big barn, along with thirteen or fourteen others. At the time my teenage niece was also living with me. Nobody took shelter in the churches. It rained. I said mass almost every day. Once, towards the end of mass, the Germans started shelling from Torricella. One fell quite close to the church and everybody was terrified. Everybody ran off and I was unable to finish the service.

At Christmas, when the British were proposing to evacuate the population to Puglia, I went to them together with the mayor to try to get them to change their minds. We were successful.

The British brought oil and pasta to distribute. I and the sacristan, Raffaele D’Orazio, organised the rations in the sacristy. An Indian raped an 11-year old girl out at Calcari village. The girls all became very wary.

After spending many nights in a little house belonging to Nicolino Troilo at San Sebastiano, I moved into the rooms above the sacristy at Santa Maria Maggiore.