Italian Days, Arabian Nights: Coming of Age in the Shadow of Mussolini

In this memoir, Vittorio Palumbo traces his childhood journey through the upheavals of war and betrayal. His keenly recalled account explores a neglected chapter in Italy’s history and offers a poignant take on the human drama behind international headlines. In 1939, Vittorio’s family sought to escape poverty in Italy by responding to their fascist leaders’ call to colonize Arab lands in Libya. Just months later, six-year-old Vittorio was summoned back to Italy for forced enrollment in Mussolini’s military boarding schools of indoctrination. Separated from his parents for eight years, Vittorio was subjected to the cruelties and destruction of the war. He lived in the wilderness to avoid the German occupation of his hometown and endured years in a refugee camp. When Vittorio was finally reunited with his parents in Libya, he was stunned to realize they had all become strangers. Eventually, Vittorio immigrated to America. Here, his lifelong aspirations of becoming a tailor were fulfilled. Vittorio became a master tailor for the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center where he designed the modern utility uniform for the United States Marine Corps.