A Week With My Father

In 1974, at the age of 17, Di Carlo left his small town Arielli, in east-central Italy, close to the Adriatic Sea, and came to America. Over the years, he returned to Arielli many times to visit with his parents, extended family and friends. On one of those trips, he came with a mission.

Growing up, he heard bits and pieces about his family ordeal during World War II. He wanted to fill in the gaps. In December 1943, the Allies and Germans fought a fierce battle in the city of Ortona, a few miles from our farm. The killing and destruction spilled over into Arielli and forced Di Carlo's 20-year-old father and his family to become refugees. In 2002, he returned to Arielli and sat with his dad, Tommaso Di Carlo. For a week, He listened and took notes as he recalled what he and others went through. A work of fiction was created based on those conversations and stories Di Carlo heard from family members over the years. Most of the narrative is told through the voice of his father. Those who've lived through war carry stories in their hearts that are difficult for the rest of us to truly comprehend.

Bruno Di Carlo, 67, grew up on a farm in Arielli, Italy, near the edge of the Adriatic Sea. At 17, he came to America with a dream to walk its street of gold. Instead he found Pina -- the love of his life for the past 46 years -- along with three children and four grandchildren. The couple live in Easton Massachusetts. A Week With My Father tells the story of one of Bruno's travels back tp Arielli. it was a trip with a mission. From the time he was a child, he had heard bits and pieces of his family's journey through the 20th century, including a tale of tragedy and escape during World War II. Now, on a visit in 2002, he sought to fill in the gaps of that history. A Week With My Father is an extraordinary work of love, research and imagination.