Book Research

The Italian Cultural Institute, founded in 1979, is an office of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Department for Cultural Promotion and Cooperation.

The Institute promotes Italian language and culture in Scotland and Northern Ireland and cooperates with local Institutions and Universities and serves as well as a gathering point for the Italian community.

The Institute promotes academic exchanges, organises arts exhibitions, sponsors the translation of Italian books, supports various events on literature, music, sciences, dance, film, design, fashion, theatre, cuisine, architecture, photography, etc

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A request has reached us from Norway from one of our readers, Lisa, who is writing a book and requires some assistance with the research.

The novel, which is an historic fiction, is based in Italy during WW2. It is the story of an Italian boy who grows up in Glasgow. His parents run an ice cream business which is successful during the thirties. He goes on holiday to Tuscany with his mother in the Spring of 1939 and ends up being caught up in the fighting, in the small hilltop village of Sommocolonia on the Gothic line. Eventually being rescued by allied Buffalo (American Black) Soldiers.

Of particular interest to Lisa is the stories of the Italian community living in Glasgow, specifically those involved with the Ice Cream trade at the time.

If you think you can help by offering your insight, or maybe know someone that can, then please do so by answering the following questions....

1) Are there any Italians or Scots-Italians who were in Glasgow at the outbreak of the war and who might remember what life was like then?

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2) What was the Italian community like at that time?

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3) To what extent did they integrate with the local community?

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4) What kind of a reputation did Italian shops and cafes have by 1939?

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5) What did the interior of the cafes look like?

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6) Who were the typical customers?

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7) How was the ice cream made and stored in those days?

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8) What made these businesses succeed in spite of the Great Depression and the decline of the shipbuilding industry?

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9) If I were to travel from Glasgow to Tuscany in 1940, how would I get there?

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10) How did the average Italian male feel at the outbreak of war?

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11) What was the reaction of those left behind?

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12) How did those feelings change in 1940 when Mussolini declared war on the allies?

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13) Does anyone remember their father or older brother being interned? Please discuss

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14) How did Italy entering the war affect family life and the Italian community in Scotland?