For skeptics who believe that she might have idealized the courage and generosity of ordinary Italians during the 1940s, Russell closes her author's note with the following inscription chiseled on the marble memorial stela in Borgo San Dalmazzo by the Jews of Saint - Martin - Vesubie in honor of the people of Valle Stura and Valle Gesso:
When racial hatred raged in Europe, Jewish Refugees, uncertain of their fate, coming from distant
countries — Austria, Belgium, Germany, Poland — found
hospitality and safety in these valleys.
I don't know if it is the Portuguese
hospitality, but it takes only an instant to fall in love with such amazing
country when its people transmit so much warmth and positivism.