How about your family, where do they live? Have you got brothers and sisters?
My father Giorgio, six brothers and sisters, was born in Trieste, 1934 and my mother Erica, one brother, in Zara (at the time it was Italian land, from 1946 former Jugoslavia, currently Croatia) 1941. She was very lucky to survive to Zara bombing attack in 1943.
My mother's family was living in Zara because my grandfather was deemed to be "undesirable person" from fascist's viewpoint. In other words he was not a fascist and forced to live with other "undesirable" people
at the very extreme border of Italy. He worked in the former telephone company, then left Zara and lost his job. When they came back to Trieste in 1943, believe it or not folks, he joined an engineering company and had the challenge of setting up a bottling line for milk
then after start up he was asked to work as electrician and maintenance clerk in the milk bottling plant till he retired in 1968. Is it a Karma I've been into bottling business for most of my working time ?
My father's family was very poor but had good commercial skills. Grandfather worked in Trieste harbour at the lowest level but later they started a fruit and vegetable shop and did a good business for the whole family.
The business turned to electronics after some time and did good results too, now it's over, you can't run a shop, too big competitors on the market.
My father did many different jobs, started in a butcher's shop, then left Italy and worked in Germany, Australia and Turkey, and finally came back to Trieste, met my mum, they fell in love and after six months they were married. It was in 1964. I was born in 1965 and am an only child.
My dad worked in a food manufacturing plant, they made pork meat, ham, sausages and all that stuff, then lorry driver finally taxi driver in "outsourcing". This means that another guy was the owner of the car and could run the taxi business and my father had to drive it and give him a % on income. In Italy you can run a taxi business only if you have a commercial pass and this pass goes from fathers to sons. No way to buy it. In 1966 we were very poor, we lived in a 30 sqm public flat with no bathroom, we had no telephone and so on... my mom decided to go to work to earn some more money and improve the quality of our life. She applied for nurse at the local hospital and was employed in 1968.
We did not know, but at that time it was the end of our family: I had to go to live with my grandparents (mom's parents) and my father disagreed. I had a very nice time with gradparents, but mum and dad was constantly arguing and disputing. They divorced in 1976 when I was eleven years old, after a very long and consuming "Kramer vs. Kramer" family war. It was a very very sad time for me.
I could not rely on my parents, they needed my help believe me, especially my father, but I was 7, 10 years old and he was 35 - 40 !!!
It was when I decided to rely on myself rather than on other's help.
When I grew up I left my grand parents and went to live with mum, she was devoted to me, and I owe her much gratitude because she gave me the opportunity to study and learn things. No graduates, nor high schools in both families, as you may guess. I did some part time jobs and tutoring
during University time, just to earn some money for the week ends (mainly gasoline, gifts for my girlfriend and the football matches).
Both my parents currently live in Trieste and still avoid each other whenever they occasionally meet. Last time I saw them in the same place was when I married.
