keywords: italian origins – Bisceglie – Kerch – guerra di Crimea – Red Army - First World War - 1917 Revolution – Lenin – Stalin – Stalin's repression – fascism - Second World War – prison – Domenico Cassanelli.  

synthesis: Parents with origins at Bisceglie (Ba), Italy – Crimean War – World War I –1917 Revolution – Italian family at Kerch – Italian school – Roman Catholic Church in Crimea – Russian and Italian language – Torture and homicide by the Red Army – Stalin's repression – poisoning of Lenin - life at Kerch – Italian and Russian culture and traditions – father's work – trading - returns with family to Italy in 1919 – Fascism – World War II – departure to African Campaigns – prison – life in the USA from  1941 to 1945 – return to Italy – USSR nostalgia. Family photos at Kerch – prison photos in the USA. 

subject biography: Born at Kerch in 1908, maintains Italian citizenship. The father, originally from Bisceglie (Ba), migrated to Kerch and marries an Italian from the Cassanelli family. At Kerch, the family lives in the countryside working at a farm. Angelo, along with his seven brothers, has lived through World War I and the 1917 Revolution. In 1919 the family returns to Italy for fear of the revolution. During World War II Angelo gets drafted into the Italian Army and sent to Africa. Becomes a prisoner of the French, the English and then of the Americans; he gets sent to the USa and stays there up until  1945, and then returns to Italy. Today he still remembers life at Kerch and the russian language. He died at Bisceglie in 2002.

Related Links

THE ITALIANS OF CRIMEA
Information, video and tales about the Italian community emigrated to Crimea throughout the centuries.   (In Italian)

VIDEO ON-LINE:

INTERVIEW