Unpublished photo
“During his holiday in Austria, Giuseppe was not alone. Although in the first news articles the fact was omitted so as not to cause a stir, at his side sat a woman he had been seeing for a couple of years. Some time after the accident, on 9 April 1954, the ‘Corriere’ finally found the strength to mention his name but merely wrote that he suffered ‘very serious injuries’ in the accident. The truth, however, is much harsher, because she remained in a desperate condition for many months, and then spent the last period of her life in the strictest possible secrecy. Her existence in the family was a whispered secret, but no one dared speak her name. I would only find out much later that her name was Anna Z. [Anna Zanchi Morpurgo] and was the cousin of family friends who owned another manor house a few kilometres from Albiate. (…)
In the archives of the Braidense Library, in Brera, there are some photographic portraits of her. The figure and face look like those of an actress from the golden age of Hollywood. They were taken in 1949 by a well-known Lombard portraitist and painter, Emilio Sommariva’. (p. 16).
One can only emphasise the great misfortune of the lady, who fell in love with my grandfather Peppino at a time when there was no divorce.
Anna Zanchi was related to Prospero Zanchi, Nando Angeloni and Francesco De Marchi, all of whom appear in the book.
References:
Milan, Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, Fondo Sommariva, 1949, Coll. SOM. ST. D. a. 339.
