Carla Zampatti

oward the end of the 1940s, a young girl accompanied her older brother from their farm in Lovero in the northernmost reaches of Italy to an alpine cottage where the family would pass the hottest weeks of the summer. The path was steep and at times treacherous and, usually hoisted onto a pair of shoulders, the girl had never made the journey walking all the way on her own. But the pair had been tasked with readying it for other family members who would arrive a few days later and as they were carrying supplies on their backs, she was determined not to add the complaints of an eight-year old to their already heavy load. “Brava!” exclaimed the brother as they reached the top although the celebration would be short-lived.