Pietro Casulli

Pietro Casulli was born on the 11^th of January 1933 in Zara, which was Italian at the time, but is now Croatian and is known as Zadar, to Marino Casulli, a businessman in the food industry, and Antonia Baccarelli, the daughter of a builder, both of Apulian origin. Pietro had two sisters, one two years older called Vita, the other two years younger called Maria Pia.

Their parents separated in 1937, and the father stayed with his son in Zadar; the elder sister went to study at a boarding school in Gualdo Tadino, in the province of Perugia, while the younger sister went with her mother to Bari. The family's financial situation allowed for a comfortable life. Pietro lived in a small building on the outskirts of town, built by his father.

During the summer, Marino Casulli sent his son on holiday to the mountains in the province of Trento, to Fiera di Primiero, where his brother had a house. When Italy went to war in the summer of 1940, Pietro was on holiday and got stuck there with his aunt and uncle, while his father stayed in Zadar. During the war, their status changed to that of refugees. Pietro attended primary school in the village, which was occupied by German troops.

At the end of the war and as a consequence of the international peace treaties, Marino Casulli moved to Verona, returning to live with his son Pietro and, shortly afterwards, with his daughter Vita. Together, they made the decision to emigrate to the United States to join a branch of the family that was already living there.

Their application to emigrate was accepted in 1953 thanks to their uncle's guarantee on their behalf. They underwent medical examinations at the American consulate in Genoa on the 7^th of June. They docked in New York harbour on the 18^th of June 1953 on the ship “Saturnia”, from which they disembarked after the border authorities had checked their documents. And so they began their new life, studying and working. In 1954, Pietro received a draft card for enlistment in the US Army, which he accepted on account of the numerous benefits offered, including the granting of American citizenship. At the end of his military service, he began a professional career as a technical-mechanical draughtsman.

In the summer of 1963, he decided to take a holiday in Italy to see his friends and relatives. He travelled to Bari, to see his mother and sister Maria Pia. He looked for work in Italy despite already having a return ticket to America. He moved between Brescia, Milan and Turin, but the offers he received were unsatisfactory. While in Turin, he had the opportunity to spend a weekend in Genoa, which was Italy's third most important industrial city at the time, a seaside town with an ambience and climate that reminded him of Zadar, along with a pleasant lifestyle.

Here he decided to accept a job offer and settled down permanently.

Testimony compiled in collaboration with the Casulli Family. Photo credits - Pietro Casulli.