Original subtitles

DIARY OF A TEACHER

Loosely adapted from the novel "A year in Pietralata."

Interpreted by children and inhabitants of the Roman villages

of Tiburtino Terzo, Pietralata and La Torraccia.

This morning, the neighborhood was in turmoil.

Municipal diggers had arrived to demolish a group of old houses.

I had a hard time bringing the boys back to school.

The event shocked them, and they felt involved.

Why are these houses taken down?

Let's listen to Piazza.

They demolish because when a family leaves, they wall the house up.

But at night, other people break into the house!

That happened to my grandmother!

Why do people want to break into these houses?

They took advantage twice, since they have a daughter,

They leave the old house for her, and then apply for a new one.

In summary... The people that lived in these old buildings,

Get assigned new public housing.

So as not to bring in... Shall we call them squatters?

But, where do these squatters come from?

- From everywhere! - You won't let me say a word!

- They come-- - Sometimes even from La Torraccia.

What do you think of these demolitions at Tiburtino?

Those that keep waiting receive nothing,

While others that arrive later, immediately get a house.

It happened to us at La Garbatella.

The housing problems are a daily concern for them.

It's talked about in the family, in the neighborhood.

The topic might be too complicated for us,

But I still felt the obligation of not letting the opportunity pass.

How long have you been waiting for the house?

35 years.

And you just got it.

- And how long did your family wait? - 12 years.

We waited 25 years.

They left the house to his brother!

- What are you drawing? - The houses being demolished.

There, boys. Listen to me for a moment.

Let's try to bring some order into this discussion.

I would say, start--

Romano is drawing the excavator, the demolished houses, the people...

Alright?

Let's start by drawing.

Remember the excavator, the officers...

Can I take a checkered sheet?

- It's too small. - I'll make it bigger later.

The drawing must be well done.

You won't get away with four pencil strokes.

If someone doesn't feel confident, use the pencil so you can erase it later.

Can you lend me your pencil?

- We need the general view. - This is the building.

Where are you going to put the excavator?

Do you remember its shape?

- What color was the excavator? - Yellow!

An ugly yellow!

But no-- Oh, yeah... A rusty yellow.

Brownish yellow.

Can I draw one building already demolished first?

Then I'll draw another one about to be demolished by the excavator.

I'll draw a small building.

Even the name of the company.

Here it is.

You're missing a piece, I think.

Add some broken windows.

While they were drawing, I started taking notes.

I didn't know how to expand on the subject,

How to transform it into a study, or some kind of research.

Now we have to choose the best drawing from each group,

So that each group can improve their drawing, and enlarge it.

For example, instead of making five drawings, this group here--

They will make a single drawing, on a bigger canvas, alright?

We've already chosen, the one Romano did.

That one. The second one from the left.

Sure, but you can't make a choice by simply saying: "Let's do that one."

It's not enough.

You have to say why you prefer the one Romano did.

- Which one is Romano's? - Come here, let's have a look.

I like this one as well, let's be clear.

But I want to understand, why do you prefer this one over that one?

- What do you see in it? - How so?

Why do you like it better? Is it the colors?

No, not the colors, I just think he did it better.

- The composition? - Yes!

In the one Piazza made you can see other things, like the houses--

But it's missing the crowd!

That one, if you add more houses...

And you remove the cars that are sideways,

It could become even better than the other one!

I think the best one is Piazza's.

Because Romano drew the houses already destroyed.

But in Piazza's, you can see the crane that's about to tear down the building.

How can you see that it's going to demolish the building?

- It's just to the side! - If I have to say something...

I like these, both.

But notice how in Piazza's drawing, everything is static, frozen.

There is no movement. Do you see that? It's frozen.

This digger is parked there.

It's not aggressive, even if the teeth resemble a monster going for the window.

In Romano's, look at the movement evoked by the lines.

Look at the digger, how it's moving up, right?

There is something dynamic in Franco's houses too.

As if they were moving, right?

It looks like they're going to fall off on their own!

They're bundled together, one next to the other,

As if to defend themselves from the digger.

This is the idea Romano's drawing gives me.

Which drawing did this group choose?

- We thought we'd do a bit each. - How so?

- Different parts of the drawings! - Each one does a part of the drawing.

How are you going to choose?

- Go ahead. - We're taking Munzi's digger.

- The one up there? - The yellow one.

I think there's more movement in Del Croce's drawing.

You would choose Del Croce's? Why is that?

I think it has more movement than my own.

And you can see it climb on the rubble.

While mine is just parked on top.

Professor, Del Croce's may be dynamic, but the digger looks like a box.

This?

- Mine's no better. - We can fix it.

- I prefer the one from Scafati. - Scafati?

There is no movement, but it has been drawn perfectly.

I didn't draw the digger by myself, they helped me do that.

- I'm not that good. - Did the group help you?

Yes, for the digger.

- I prefer-- - Let's listen to the group.

What I prefer from Scafati's drawing is that you can see the rubble.

- It looks real! - Yes! Veneto's too--

In Veneto's drawing, I prefer the people.

So, we agree on the choices.

I want to explain the difference to you.

Some of you have tried to make a realistic drawing.

Do you know what realistic means?

It means trying to portray the situation exactly as it was seen.

While others, like Romano and Franco,

They painted what they felt when seeing the excavator and the houses,

Like this tangle that Romano drew,

As if he had seen the interior of the houses.

- This one isn't realistic, either. - No, it looks like a dinosaur.

Right, it looks like Del Croce thought of the digger as a monster.

And he painted it just like a monster.

In this drawing, the excavator is the protagonist of the design.

Whereas in Fabrizio's drawing, all the elements are protagonists, exactly.

Because the proportions are respected.

Do you see all the differences now that we talked about it?

Now that each group has chosen their drawing,

We have to move into painting.

Focus, as this is serious work.

Because, first you have to decide on where to place the digger.

Then, in relation to the digger, where to place the houses.

The placing of the people, the officers, the street, the school...

Which means we have to plan it, and we will draw it with a pencil first.

That way, if we make a mistake, we can erase it.

- Hurry up! - Why are you erasing?

Looks better with a roof, like you said.

- It was shaped like this, right? - Alright, do it that way.

A little bit more...

We must see that they are about to fall down.

- Should we use a bright color there? A stronger one? - Sure.

You can use yellow, if you want.

But don't do it too bright.

- Like that? - Always in the same direction.

Don't hit the circle in the middle.

- Is that clear? - Yes.

Keep on going.

Here, Luciano.

- Orange, red... - Watch out!

Your shirt is on the painting.

- That one's mine! - Use less water with the brush.

That one is yours.

How should I do the stairs?

For the stairs you can use gray, but find a different tone.

- Will you show us? - Yellow with a drop of black?

- Be careful with the brush. - Do you like it?

You're still here? I'm picking up and they told me you stayed.

- Sorry, my hands are all dirty. - You're doing overtime now?

Just cleaning up a bit.

Hey... what have you been up to? What happened to the desks?

- They're right here. - You started a revolution.

What revolution? It's more convenient this way.

We joined them, together, with boards and vices

That way the boys can work in groups.

- Where did you find the money? - We started a savings pool.

The boys each contribute with 20 lire a day.

- You contribute as well? - Of course, 100 lire per day.

They drew the excavator and the demolished houses.

The slums of the other day?

We started from individual drawings.

There was an officer who refused to let me pass.

That's true, it was messy.

Now, in groups, we're making a larger drawing, look--

Furniture in the middle of the road, people screaming...

Look how well they captured the aggressiveness of the excavator that--

"Against the law." Who's against the law?

This is a research we did about stealing.

I brought into class a young man that used to be a thief.

See, "Interview with an ex-thief."

Damn, he's ugly! If you see him in the middle of the night, you'd run away!

He's not like this, it's just a caricature.

- Where did you find him? - My university friends helped.

They interviewed him, he was bombarded with questions.

- Six pages long! - And you had to type it?

You're joking.

It was them! They even skipped lunch just to be able to keep typing.

And I realized that it reduces their spelling mistakes by 80%.

Go figure! They can't even write by hand...

- No, but typing helps them-- - Nonsense, nonsense...

Hey, do you recognize that?

- A shelf? - This is my desk.

They'll ask you to pay for this!

It was useless there, besides, I never even stay at my desk.

This way we have more space.

We store everything we use, the books--

They have self-discipline now, they come here, they go back their table...

- "The lizards". - This is one of our studies.

Their book only had one sentence: "Lizards are graceful little animals."

Now, look at all the things we wrote!

You can't imagine how much they know about lizards!

"Torture. We do cruel tortures on them. Now I will describe some..."

"I dig a hole, I tear off its limbs, and I place it inside... "

"I then spread it with jam..."

- They are delinquents! - They're poor boys, from the slums...

And you let them write that? It's an incentive.

By doing this research, it helped them let off steam to abandon that violence.

They told me they don't torture the lizards anymore.

- They only say that to make you happy. - Why not believe them?

- What's this? - A vivarium. Lizards, slow worms...

You keep this inside your classroom?

Well, I guess it could be interesting.

- Why don't you bring them in someday? - Bring who in?

Your students.

- They are more than 30. - We have plenty of room!

We could combine the two classes!

We can share our experiences. I won't hide it, I feel a bit isolated.

And if we managed to create a bond, between us, between the classes--

What are you studying at the moment?

They won't-- I got them used to studying in a different way.

But you too, you should teach them grammar, history, geography...

That way they wouldn't paint! Are they not writing in Italian?

- Are they not studying science? - Science? It's torture! With jam!

And instead I should give them notions, dates, last names, stuffing their heads?

I'm trying to bring some life into the school.

I start from their own reality.

Why are you doing this? Who put these ideas in your head?

These boys have no desire to apply themselves--

They made these, they spent hours making the drawings--

But these are games, amusements! It lacks discipline.

The boys didn't even attend class before. And now they do.

They roamed the streets, the fields...

You know it damn well, it was you that gave them to me.

Don't include me, I don't have anything to do with the others.

The other day at the meeting, I even intervened on your behalf.

- Yes, I know that. - Come on now.

Actually, I wanted to ask you...

Why didn't you come to the teacher's meeting the other day?

I just had to finish works in progress here.

Wrong move, if you came you could've defended yourself.

From whom?

My friend, you have to put your feet on the ground.

You have to realize you're kicking them in the shin.

You should've heard the teachers the other day, specially the women...

They didn't hold anything back!

You have this--

Doing things on your own, at the gardens going out during school hours...

- Why would that bother them? - All these innovations...

You think they're just going to ignore that? They all rebelled.

Even the janitors protested.

- Why do they even care? - Because you're setting a precedent.

The after-school activities, we talked plenty about it.

If you have to do them, why do them for free?

I don't know, that's not the problem--

Working free for the state? We're not missionaries.

We have families to feed, not like you.

For a salary of 140 and 150,000 lire per month,

We're bleeding ourselves dry, from dawn until dusk.

Badalucco, that's not the point and I'm sorry that you took it this way.

I only have them for three or four months.

- Am I supposed to abandon them? - In the neighborhood, they say:

"Oh, Mr. D'Angelo finds time and you don't?"

But that's my problem!

You're wrong, that's my point! It concerns everyone.

I understand. That's why you came here.

Oh, I'm sorry. If you take it like that...

No, Badalucco, I didn't mean to offend you.

Never mind, but I want to give you an advice.

These people are waiting around the bend, keeping an eye on you.

Sooner or later, they'll make you pay for it.

Anyway, gotta go, my wife is waiting for me and I'm late.

You have to come dine with us someday, you promised!

- Goodbye! - Bye...

The last one!

You have to step down.

Closer together.

Be careful, there-- The paint is still fresh.

- I don't like the shape of that car. - Other than that, it's beautiful!

Let's step back to see it better.

Ours is better...

- All three are beautiful, right? - Yeah...

These two are good, but yours is the best!

Listen, boys. This--

This theme that we have approached by painting,

I think it's a very important topic, is it not?

Today's newspaper is also talking about these demolitions.

I'll read the part that interests you.

"Just yesterday, at Tiburtino Terzo, "

"The municipal diggers started tearing down the dilapidated slums--"

What does that mean, "dilapidated"?

It means that the houses are about to collapse.

- Ugly? - Old, unusable.

- They're about to fall. - "Tearing the dilapidated slums..."

"Where several families lived, at the assigned houses of Via Diego Angeli, "

"Houses that were occupied a few days ago by squatters."

"A woman objected to the destruction of her home, "

"Claiming that a new home had not yet been assigned to her."

- The one where we saw the mouse? - The house with the mouse, yes.

- Those are municipal diggers? - Yes, that was the municipality.

The transport trucks as well, but the inhabitants had to pay 50,000 lire.

That's a lie! The town hall paid up.

As you can see, this is a very important subject, right?

We've made these paintings, and I suggest we move on,

But we must focus on a specific matter,

We need to examine the situation of this classroom.

How are the houses that we live in? And where are they located?

Let's go to our houses and discuss it.

Let's go back to our seats and start this research,

In order, as we are used to now.

Sacco, are you feeling bad? What do you have ?

You have a fever?

It's true. And it's fairly high.

Fabrizio, go to the janitor and ask him to take Sacco home.

It's very high.

This is a diagram: "How, and where do we live?"

Let's look at the situation of each student here in the class.

Here, we write the name.

Here, the number of rooms that make up their house.

Number of co-inhabitants. Do you know what that is?

Exactly, how many they are-- Rather, "How many we are."

How many people live in the same housing.

Therefore, how many people live in each room.

- And finally, the "service rooms". - Kitchen and bathroom!

- How many of you live there? - Five.

How many people per room?

- Two. - No. Two plus two is four,

Leaving one person out.

- Two and a half? - 3 in a room and 2 in the other!

We are looking for an average.

Two point five. Agree?

There. Service rooms, Romano?

There is a water pump connected to the fountain.

- Isn't that the municipal service? - No.

So, the municipal services don't exist?

Let's write: "Non-existent".

- How many people per room? - Two of them.

"Slums."

"Pecoraro hill." The new public housing.

The assigned accommodations.

Sergio, how many rooms do you have?

Three, two bedrooms and a small closet.

- How many people? - Seven.

- What is the average, boys? - Three point five!

Two point three.

Services, any? A bathroom?

- There's a bathroom, a kitchen. - Are they functional?

- There is even a wooden floor! - Even a wooden floor!

- Let's call this "Public... Housing." - It's not public housing!

- They are! - Why do you say it's not?

Public housing doesn't have wooden floors!

Not even ceramic.

He is right, even in the new ones there is no wooden floor.

Sergio's house is different, it wasn't built by the Public Housing Institute.

It was a house bought by the municipality.

A private house, refurbished by the town hall, and then reassigned.

That's why there's a wooden floor.

It was intended for private use, not for public housing.

Good, now I would like for you to write some thoughts, here on this board.

"What does this situation make you think?"

Put them in the corner.

I like this one, but the proportions... The car is too big.

Now, let's pay attention.

From these thoughts you've written, I can see a few important points.

I would like to read you a section, just a few lines.

"We live poorly inside the slums."

"When it rains, the water gets inside the huts."

"We get cold, so we have to light the fireplace."

"The black pits are near our so-called dwellings."

What are "black pits"?

Where all the waste ends up, from the lack of drainage.

That means it smells bad, too.

"The people in the neighborhood come and throw any kind of trash, "

"Only 100 meters from the slums."

But, I can see other considerations coming from these, from your essays.

We did not create this schematic for the purpose of discrimination,

To see who is better off than the others.

We did it to learn from this reality.

For example, here we have another thought...

Written by Sergio, who lives in a new public housing,

So, let's say, under favorable conditions.

However, he wrote:

"My house is very large, and fully equipped."

"Nothing is missing, it's very comfortable."

"There are three small lodges." By that, do you mean balconies?

"But I'm very sad to have left Tiburtino."

"Because there was plenty of space to play in."

"All my friends lived there, everyone knew me."

"Rightly so, someone pointed out that in these new housings, "

"The rent payments are very high."

That's the point here; "Those who live in new housings, "

"Have to pay a very high rent."

"Which means they gained on one side, but lost on the other."

This schematic we have built gives us information about this reality.

Necessary information.

We must now try to understand why such situations exist.

How were they created?

Why do these things happen in the suburbs of large cities?

Because it's not just Rome, it concerns every major city.

To do this, we need a starting point.

So I propose for you to write the history of your family.

How would you write it?

- One at a time. - From our first home, until today!

Exactly, a starting point, your grandfather.

Professor, but I have two grandfathers!

Paternal and maternal?

- Paternal! - Only the father.

Ask your father, your mother--

Ask my father where he lived first?

Start with your grandfather, where did he live?

If he modified the house, what conditions he lived in...

And then, my father as well?

We don't have to do it now.

Tomorrow is your free day, take advantage of that.

We will then establish--

To know, you must first ask your parents.

We can establish the questions which will allow us to know their situation.

With Giancarlo, it's always difficult.

After a few days of absence he came back, and I managed to talk to him.

I think I understand what his problem is.

In class, he is the oldest. School is no longer enough for him.

He needs reassurance, he needs an active lifestyle.

He hangs with older boys, he moves around with motorcycles.

That's what the others say.

But from himself, I haven't heard a single thing.

"My paternal grandfather was born in Cerignola, in the region of Foggia."

"He was a day laborer, then became a syndicalist."

"In 1919, he had to escape and come to Rome, "

"Because he had-- He was being persecuted by fascists."

"But soon after he was arrested and sentenced to three years."

"When he left, he settled down in a cabin--

There, Marco, thank you.

Marco tried to tell, not only about his family's migration,

But also its history, in its true form.

The location, his father's occupation, etc.

This is a very interesting topic to discuss, later on,

One that we can elaborate.

We can talk, for example, about the story of your parents during Fascism.

It's a very important subject involving history, and it's also interesting.

For now, let's frame that information.

- Cerignola. - He comes from Cerignola.

- In other words? - From Bari. - From Foggia!

From the Puglia region.

Now, Amedeo.

What region is your family from?

- From Rome. - Lazio, Rome.

When did you arrive?

Gradually, through the simple chronicles of their families,

The boys are discovering their history.

Not a succession of names and dates,

But the true history that makes you understand why certain events happen.

And how they were experienced by others.

That was in 1967. No, in 1966.

Sixty six.

- How long has it been? - Six years.

- Seven! - Yeah, seven.

What can we deduce from this table?

What does it make you think of?

We could even call this a "historical table."

This one, instead, is more of a fixed situation.

It is our current place of residence and therefore a static situation.

On the other hand, this one evokes movement.

Because you haven't always lived in Tiburtino.

What does it make you think of? Look at the regions.

They are all different.

Lazio, Campania, Lazio, Lazio...

What does that mean?

Shall we give a title to this table?

What title can we give it?

"The Badlifers."

- What? - "Badlifers!"

- Bad lifers? - No! "Our family's houses."

"Badlifers." What did you mean by that?

Those that live badly! Badly placed, in small, humid houses.

But you do know that the word "badlifer" doesn't exist?

It's not like we could call it...

- "Houses of evil". - It's fine by me.

The word does not exist, but it gives a clear concept.

"The houses of the Badlifers." Does everyone agree?

"The houses..." It's not just about their stories.

"The houses... of the Badlifers."

It means: "Those who live badly".

We've been working for a week, between family interviews, news and statistics.

Every single boy has written several comments about the paintings.

We've read them, discussed them.

Read it again, "Children don't have an ugly educational setting."

It doesn't mean anything...

Melding the most interesting sections we've composed a collective text,

Which is the synthesis of our work.

They liked the idea of the entire class being able to write a single narrative.

There, you see how we wrote a long paragraph?

Now we have to correct the spelling mistakes,

But also the structure...

What I mean is, let's try to express the idea more clearly,

And in a more concise manner.

I think you should remove "Then", because it says:

"In the poor suburbs where the housing is unhealthy..."

"Then, the families are unable to help their children..."

- Just leave "the families." - After "unhealthy housing".

Let's start by removing "Then".

Excuse me, boys, but... This concept right here,

"Where the dwellings are unhealthy and uninhabitable",

Have we not already explained that?

"In the poor suburbs, families..."

"In the poor suburbs...", let's remove "unhealthy housing".

Because we've already mentioned it.

"Families are unable to help their children study..."

"Families are not able..."

"They don't have the possibilities to move their children's studies forward."

He proposes: "their studies".

"In the poor suburbs...", Fabrizio, talk to me.

"In the poor suburbs,

"The families..."

"Don't have the possibilities..."

- Let's say, "the possibility"? - "The possibility".

To do what?

"To move forward..."

"To move forward..."

"To move their own children's studies forward..."

Is "their own" really necessary?

"To move their children's studies..."

Very well. Now...

What is the second sentence?

"The other boys feel minor, "

"And will most probably practice the same trade as their father, "

"That is to say, laborer or mason."

It's not good, no. Let's listen to Bonini.

- Is the concept clearly expressed? - Yes!

The concept is clear but it's badly written.

How do they feel "minor" to other young people?

"The other boys more..."

Let's listen to Fabrizio.

"The boys from the suburbs..."

Damn, I forgot.

"Seeing how the other boys have more possibilities..."

"More educated!"

- "... They feel more minor..." - "Compared to the most educated."

"Minor"? Is it correct? Can we express it differently?

They feel uncomfortable!

- No! - They are embarrassed!

Luciano is getting close! They feel...

- Small! - No...

- Disadvantaged! Abandoned. - No, let's see...

- "The boys from the suburbs..." - " ... Looking at the others..."

- "More educated than them..." - How do they feel?

- Inferior! - Inferior, Massimo is right!

"They feel inferior to the others!"

"Inferior compared to the other boys..."

- "That are more educated than them." - "More educated" is enough.

Good job.

"They feel inferior in regards to the other boys..."

"In regards to the more educated boys".

Let's remove the line about working the same trade as their father.

That's a different point, the father's job.

- What do you propose? - "Since they are less educated, "

"And they drop out of school, they feel..."

- "And must-- - It's too long!

- "Since they don't study anymore..." - "If they don't want to study, "

"They will end up like their father!"

"They abandon their studies and will therefore be forced"

"To do the same job as their father."

"To become a day laborer."

"They will be forced to become a laborer or a mason."

Sure, but that is an oversimplification,

There are trades other than laborer or bricklayer.

By this we mean a modest job, not requiring specialization

Nor an adequate diploma.

That's what we mean by that.

Now, you see how much time it took us to write these few sentences.

I could see that you had these ideas,

That you knew what they meant,

But you didn't know how to say them,

How to make these sentences.

What does that mean?

That we must appropriate our language,

We must have the vocabulary in order to clearly express our ideas.

To communicate with others,

Because words are used to speak with each other, right?

You don't realize that yet.

- You often speak in dialect. - In Romanesco.

I agree, dialects are beautiful, we can even study them.

You know that certain poets have written in dialect all their lives.

- Like Trilussa! - Of course.

And it doesn't mean they lack great literary value.

But you will start your life, you will go to work,

And you will need to be able to speak with many people,

To communicate your ideas, to defend yourself.

For any kind of activities, you'll need proper language.

And so, you need to study it, get to know her, thoroughly.

In schools, specially when it comes to working-class districts,

During the meetings with the parents, certain things happen, often sad things.

The parents hardly speak, because of what I'm telling you.

When you don't know how to talk, even if you have good ideas,

It's as if they were ashamed.

- They don't know how to express. - Exactly, they don't know how.

So, they just don't speak, and they don't give value to their ideas.

And those that realize they know better, often times take advantage of this.

You'll eventually go to work,

Or maybe you'll meet a girl who is not from Rome.

You will have to communicate with her, know how to express yourself.

For anything! Even for administrative procedures.

It's useless to use ten words, when it can be expressed with two or three.

Those who have studied less, therefore, that don't master the language,

They use many words to express an idea.

And you've realized this, when we had our collective correction, right?

So, I'd like to offer you a rule today.

A new rule.

For example, let's say...

From now on-- Exactly.

Express yourself in Italian. Let's speak in--

As Fabrizio just said, express yourself in Italian.

We had made considerable progress.

It felt like the right time to introduce typography, the printing press.

It's easy to use, but it is also delicate.

So...

- Gently. - Quit acting like it's yours.

We first need a matrix, on which we are going to write with the typewriter.

We place the sheet in here.

Then, we close the net.

On top, on this laminated plate, we place the ink. Which is right here.

We then take the roller,

- We pass it over the ink, - Easy! Like flattening the sand fields.

We cover it completely, OK?

Then we pass it on the net, pressing very firmly.

Then, we lift it...

- But you have to type, first. - Yes, you do.

The copy ends here, while the matrix remains there.

We remove the copy, we insert a blank sheet,

We close it again, we press the roller,

And you get another copy.

- We can do a lot. - Of course, many.

Before moving on to the limograph and the actual printing--

- We have to prepare the leaves. - Exactly.

- What is that for? - That is for drawing,

I'll show it to you in due time.

Let's stay on the vertical line.

The idea that the texts they wrote could be multiplied,

That they could all own a copy, and even share it to others, made them excited.

Does it look good to you?

They try their hardest to avoid any mistakes,

It is a commitment to themselves, and everyone else.

We made some small mistakes, but--

Since I wrote this-- Hold on.

I was mistaken in dictating to Mennuni.

Instead of saying "di", I said "de".

So we had to write a note here. Then, we moved--

But once you are done, you need to correct the errors.

- Then it'll be fine. - Leave a blank space.

- How many copies do we want? - Fifty!

- One for each. - But that's only 16!

- Professor, 30. - For our parents.

At least 16 for the class, right?

- Plus, we want some for the parents-- - Let's make 35, or 40...

Fifty. Make it a round number.

If we do 16 for ourselves, that means the parents have it too.

Because that copy is ours, and we can show it to them.

We can give them to other classes as well.

Let's say forty. Alright?

Now, you have to organize it like this.

- We'll start with the cover. - You do this one, professor.

No, you go. I already tested it before.

Let's-- One at a time.

One at a time. We start with Veneto.

Luciano will remove the sheet.

That's enough. Hard, OK?

You've got to press it hard.

Uniformly, always with the same force.

Now, open it.

- There, let's see how it turned out. - Just like the other one, a success!

Can't even notice the mistake here.

Perfect.

Now the back cover, without colors.

Luciano, wait.

We needed to learn more about the origin and the history of the neighborhood.

We've invited the fathers of Marco and Franco.

Regardless, they were born there.

It's like digging up a plant and moving it somewhere else, right?

We researched the neighborhood,

About the different types of accommodation,

How many years had passed while waiting approval for a new house...

Was that the meaning of your question, Franco?

In other words, "What is Tiburtino missing?"

What is here and what is missing.

- Can I ask a question? - Give time to answer.

Luciano said it well: "What is here and what is missing."

In Tiburtino, there is nothing, practically everything is missing.

There are no social services, no cinema,

No library, no theater. There is nothing, not even a clinic.

At Porta Metronia you had a cinema, a theater?

It's walking distance. Porta Metronia is 5 minutes from Piazza Venezia.

To go from Tiburtino to Piazza Venezia, back then it took an hour and a half.

- How was Tiburtino, at first? - During the war?

Not during the war, at first, when it was born.

It started with the first three subdivisions.

Before that, it was pasture.

We took the cows and goats there to graze.

There was practically nothing, this wasn't the city.

The most significant event that happened in Tiburtino during the war?

For me, the most significant...

The departure of the Germans, of the Nazis.

It is true that for every German killed, they killed ten men of our own?

- It's true. - There were reprisals in Tiburtino?

There were a few young boys...

Hunger, misery, they pull the wolf out of its lair.

They were young, 16 or 17 years old.

They returned to the barracks, as one often did,

Looking for items they could resell, in order to buy food.

They got caught.

They were "paraded" around Rome,

Arriving near the Rebibbia prison, they were made to dig their graves.

Not because they murdered, but because they tried to steal.

They made them dig their graves...

Like the Ardeatine Pits?

No, that time they used caves.

While this time, they had to dig their own graves.

They were killed and thrown inside.

Alright, we asked plenty of questions,

Let's not take advantage of the fathers of Speranza and Munzi,

However, when the time comes to talk about World War II and Fascism,

Shall we invite them again, to hear their personal experiences?

- Will we invite them again? - Yes.

That's good, Sergio. Remo, wait.

They all want the stapler now!

Excuse me!

Excuse me!

Careful!

Where are you going? Romano, Franco, come here!

Goodbye!

Ask for their name!

We say "nome", they say "name".

You are English?

There was a "velarium", it was called "velarium".

Professor, is it true that there were naval battles?

Look at that.

Back then, this was covered up. Today, we can see the underground.

Passageways for the slaves and prisoners who came to fight.

This was not a prison, but the undergrounds,

Where the prisoners who were going to fight waited.

Was it partly built by Emperor Vespasian?

Of course, it was built under the Flavian dynasty,

Between 70 and 80 A.D.

Who can tell me a few things that we studied about the Colosseum?

Let's gather up the group, come on.

Let's rest over there.

Come, Bonini, let's go.

- They had real boats, right? - Boats, sure.

Small boats!

Romano, come.

Gather around, boys.

Who can tell me what happened inside the Colosseum?

There were shows with horses, naval battles, gladiators.

Where did the wealthiest sit, upstairs or downstairs?

They sat lower...

The games lasted from the sunrise until the sunset.

At times they went on for three months, and around 10,000 people perished.

- Just in three months. - They were Christians.

- It wasn't just Christians. - Gladiators!

- But also prisoners of war and slaves. - The dead from the naval battles.

Of course.

If they wanted to kill, they did this... If they wanted to spare them, like this.

Thumbs up meant death.

At the end of the 19th century, beginning of the 20th.

Over here.

That's Victor-Emmanuel, the Second.

Look at that horse!

This is the monument to homage Victor-Emmanuel, the Second.

- How is it made? - The horse is in bronze.

Professor, that jacket is Russian, right? Prussian?

No, it was the uniform at the time.

The Prussians had the same.

- The statue was carved... - We hoisted it with cables.

Of course, they had scaffolding, and they pulled it up with cables.

Be careful, boys!

- There, on your left, Palazzo Venezia. - Which one?

There, on the left.

- That's the balcony-- - Mussolini was there!

From that balcony, the declaration of war was made, the Second World War.

- Many, many people gathered-- - What is this street?

- That's Via del Corso, which leads to Piazza del Popolo. - And the other one?

- Does anyone know the date of entry into the war? - 1940!

June 10th, 1940.

Be careful, it's dangerous. You can't be that close!

You can't stay there. Get closer, Giancarlo!

Do you know how many deaths did the First World War cause?

- There was more in the Second. - 18,000, I believe.

700,000 dead, boys.

Professor, have you seen how sculptors need an image for reference?

The sculptor that did this, how did he manage to imagine it? To represent that?

Are you talking about the horse?

No! The cannonballs, the trumpet...

This is sculpted, but it was first drawn. They put flags, chariot wheels...

- To represent the war. - It's for decoration!

- Of course, and later it's sculpted. - With the hammer and chisel.

Professor, that crown with the flowers, what is it for?

Yesterday, from Piazza Venezia, we saw the balcony in which Mussolini

Declared war to France and England.

June 10th, 1940.

They called it "world war", because most of the world was involved.

You could even say, the whole world.

All wars have been a carnage.

But the Second World War had more deaths than any other.

50 million people perished.

- There was suffering-- - Five thousand...

6,000 Jews and 12,000 Russians.

- 6,000 Jews? - And 12,000 Russians.

- 6,000 Jews? - No, 6 million and 12,000 Russians.

We'll get there later on.

We'll get there and see what the exact numbers are.

From the end of the war, we see the birth of the Italy that we know today.

That means the Republic is born.

Before that we had the monarchy, as you already know.

In order to understand contemporary Italy,

We must start from the Second World War, the one closest to us.

The war ends after the explosion of the first atomic bomb.

Hiroshima, that was the first one.

The first was in Hiroshima.

The first bomb was dropped over Hiroshima.

- In 1945. - How many dead?

There were 200,000 dead.

But the people kept dying.

Radiation even reached Australia!

They died because the effects of nuclear radiation.

There were deaths even after several months.

After 25 years, people still have radiation burns on their faces.

Professor, World War II is included in our book.

You probably already knew, but we could read something from it.

Let's see what the book says about World War II.

"As in Italy, power in Germany was in the hands of a single party, "

"The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler."

"Hitler aimed for Germany's supremacy over the world."

"And with the invasion of Poland, they triggered the second World War."

"At first, the German army was well prepared and armed, "

"Seemingly invincible, they invaded Denmark, Norway, "

"Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France."

"Hitler's victories forced Mussolini to fight alongside Germany, in 1940."

"But Italy was not ready for war and despite the valor of his soldiers, "

"It suffered a series of painful defeats."

That's all... And for the Resistance too.

It's only half a page.

They don't explain very much.

Boys, let's do something.

A method we've already used before. Why not--

Why not start from our own personal stories?

Just like we did for the housing.

- Interview our fathers? - What Scafati is saying.

You could write about what your fathers experienced during the war.

As we did for the housing.

My father ran out of a concentration camp in Africa.

With a fellow soldier and a corporal, but they were surprised by a bomb.

His friend died, but the corporal was spared.

- My father was cut on his forehead. - Was he badly hurt?

My father was arrested by the Germans and locked inside a cell.

Speak louder.

My father passed the money to my mother with his mouth.

- With his mouth? - Yes.

He hid the money inside his mouth, right?

- And passed it to my mother. - How?

He gave her a kiss, and the money with it.

Professor, my "grammaw" --

Wait, let's try to speak in Italian.

My grandmother...

There was a chicory truck...

Which was making it's rounds through Tiburtino...

So my grandmother, and a group of women

Got into the truck and stole all the chicory.

Professor, is it true that...

When Mussolini checked the barracks at the start of the Second World War,

There were, for example, 30 airplanes in one base?

He saw them, and moved on to check the next base.

Is it true those same planes were passed from one base to another?

It's what they say, and it's partly true,

To signify Italy's military unpreparedness.

Many generals had told Mussolini that Italy was not ready to go to war.

Professor, during the war, my father was in a concentration camp.

He escaped, but a German shot him.

And to this day, he has the mark of the bullet on his back.

OK, let's do that--

Let's start by writing the history of our fathers.

Alright?

We are going to write the history, the way your families experienced it.

Your father, and your mother.

But let's focus on a few aspects.

You can let your parents tell you whatever they want.

How they lived through the war, who fought, who suffered--

My father was too young, so he didn't participate.

But he told me about my uncle, and my grandfather.

But I remember the war as well, I remember the bombings in Naples.

Did you know there were 110 bombardments in Naples?

One hundred and ten! The city was almost completely destroyed.

My mother used to climb the hills to watch them.

- They disembarked at Anzio, and-- - Right, let's start in order, yes?

You should ask your parents,

In addition to what they want to tell,

We need precise dates.

- But precise dates can be hard! - No, I'll explain it to you now.

- The declaration of the war... - June 10th, 1940!

June 10th, 1940...

Ask them, where they were that day.

Were they in Piazza Venezia, were they listening to the radio...

Or maybe they were somewhere else. Then--

They must've been there.

Armistice...

Armistice...

The proclamation of the armistice...

September 8th, now we know this date as well, 1943.

Then, the liberation of Rome...

- In 1949. - No!

- The liberation of Rome... - 1944!

June 4, 1944.

Clear? The war did not end with the liberation of Rome.

I'm going to play for you the disc of the declaration of war.

Can you start the record player?

- "Benito Mussolini." - It's a Long Play disc.

"June 10th, 1940."

"Combatants... Of land, sea, and air!"

"Black Shirts of the Revolution and the Legions!"

"Men and women of Italy, of the Empire, and of the Kingdom of Albania."

"Listen to me!"

"An hour marked by fate..."

"Has struck in the heavens of our fatherland."

"It is the time of irrevocable decisions!"

"The declaration of war has already been delivered--"

"To the ambassadors of Great Britain and France."

END OF PART THREE