This is a story of love, of a pure love between two brothers that bureaucracy - or fate - had temporarily separated but who never lost each other.
We are in Carpineto Romano in the post-war period and the young bride Leonina is unable to have children, in fact she begins pregnancies but is unable to finish them. Leonina and her husband then decide to adopt a child and go to a hospital where they entrust them with Bruno, 11 days old, a little baby born to a widow who could not support him.
Immediately after Bruno's arrival, Leonina becomes pregnant. Antonietta is born and the two siblings grow up together happily in Carpineto Romano with their mother and grandmother Agostina Cacciotti who take care of them.
Times are hard and Leonina's husband decides to go to Australia to become a WOG - Worker Of Government, the derogatory nickname that was given to immigrants in this great country. So, the husband leaves on a long journey by ship that at the time lasted over a month and the two married only hear from each other by letter while he saves money to bring the whole family to Australia.
After 6 years, the father has finally saved enough money for the whole family to travel and begins to prepare the paperwork for family reunification. At this point a tragedy unfolds: the two young spouses unaware of the bureaucracy had not completed the adoption and Bruno is still in the care of his natural mother who does not want to let him go. In reality she does not let him go but she does not want to take care of him either.
Antonietta (called Tortoriglia) leaves with her mother and embarks on another ship that takes her away from Italy. But above all from her grandmother Agostina and her brother Bruno. She was 6 years old and could not understand the illogicality of human laws, she was still in the phase of life in which only love counts.
Bruno stayed in Italy and was sent to boarding school in Rome, then to Ciampino and finally back to Rome while his grandmother Agostina always went to visit him and told him about her family in Australia. As soon as he graduated, he immediately found work at the State Mint and so he stayed in Italy with a part of his heart in Australia.
In Australia 2 more girls were born and they also grew up with the idea of having a brother in Italy, but for Antonietta it was different. She never stopped crying of sadness away from Bruno and of joy when she met him in Italy or Australia.
And that's how I met Antonietta and Bruno who told me their story while her eyes were moist with tears and they still hugged each other like children.
Antonietta has her family in Australia with 5 children and 12 grandchildren, Bruno has his family in Italy with his children and at 19 he discovered he had a brother 20 years older born from his biological mother.
I met them in Carpineto Romano at the 90th birthday party of Romano Campagna, Town Ambassador of the city, who was able to gather 80 relatives who came from Australia and Canada to celebrate this important birthday.
When I started interviewing some of the guests, everyone pointed out Antonietta as the most emotional story of their entire family.
And so it was. And I feel richer thanks to Bruno and Antonietta.
A toast to you!
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