Massimo D’Alema reflects on PCI activism and memoir in corriere.it interview
- Massimo D'Alema reflects on his political upbringing, childhood encounters with communist leadership, and party activism in an autobiographical interview published by corriere.it.
- D'Alema opens his memoir, Eravamo comunisti, published by Feltrinelli, by recalling his uncle Antonio's death on the Piave on November 2, 1918, corriere.it reported.
- At six years old, D'Alema joined the Pioneers, where he met Chiara Ingrao, whom he recalls falling in love with, and Gaspara Pajetta.
Massimo D’Alema reflects on his political upbringing, childhood encounters with communist leadership, and party activism in an autobiographical interview published by corriere.it. The former Prime Minister traces his trajectory from a partisan family in Ferrara and Genoa to student protests at the Normale di Pisa and leadership within the Italian Communist Party (PCI).
D'Alema Recalls Family History of Communism and Partisans
D’Alema opens his memoir, Eravamo comunisti, published by Feltrinelli, by recalling his uncle Antonio’s death on the Piave on November 2, 1918, corriere.it reported. His father, Giuseppe, later became a communist and a partisan leader who narrowly escaped a fascist assassination attempt in Ferrara. Another uncle, Domenico, survived deportation to the Mauthausen concentration camp but returned suffering from typhus. D’Alema’s maternal relatives held similar political alignments, with his grandmother Margherita once physically subduing a building superintendent who threatened to denounce them.
Togliatti Advises Young Pioneers to Occupy a Space
At six years old, D’Alema joined the Pioneers, where he met Chiara Ingrao, whom he recalls falling in love with, and Gaspara Pajetta. When the group lacked a headquarters, they sought guidance from Togliatti. According to corriere.it, Togliatti advised them to occupy a space, instructing the children to force a shutter open with a crowbar and claim he authorized the action if anyone protested.
Student Protests and Physical Confrontations
D’Alema moved to Genoa at eleven and later entered the Normale di Pisa in 1967, where he immediately encountered political clashes on the steps of the institution. He described facing police batons during student demonstrations and receiving a knife wound to his right hand during a brawl with fascists. He also recounted a physical altercation with Giorgio Pietrostefani on the steps of Rome’s Sapienza University following an internal assembly vote, an incident later mediated by PCI security personnel.
We were returning from a meeting where our motion had prevailed over theirs. He jumped on me, he was a force of nature, and he gave me a good beating.
Massimo D’Alema via corriere.it