"Gianna Thompson cast a spell which, quite beyond any conscious intension of hers, convinced those who heard her that they were in a saintly presence." Ann Cornelisen.
Prologue
I first met Gianna Thompson in 1962 when she was the representative of the Save the Children Fund in Italy. Like most people I fell under her spell. But she remained an enigma - there seemed to be another Gianna behind that cool, composed exterior. Who was she? Where did she come from? Was she Italian or was she English? And who was Mr Thompson? Years later I discovered Ann Cornelisen’s book ‘Where It All Began’ and learned about Gianna’s unusual upbringing, her work in the devastated regions of Italy in the aftermath of WW2, the identity of Mr Thompson, their love affair and its tragic end. I began to realise that Thompson was a vital influence on Gianna’s life and work and a much more significant figure in the post war reconstruction of Italy than had been previously acknowledged.
As I researched I discovered another Gianna, a lonely woman full of doubts, fears and frailties, quite different from the woman with the saintly presence. And I also learned about her close relationship with Ann Cornelisen: how their relationship developed as they worked together in one of the poorest regions in Europe and how it all ended in acrimony and bitter recrimination.
Keith Washington 2011
Click here to go to first chapter
Prologue
I first met Gianna Thompson in 1962 when she was the representative of the Save the Children Fund in Italy. Like most people I fell under her spell. But she remained an enigma - there seemed to be another Gianna behind that cool, composed exterior. Who was she? Where did she come from? Was she Italian or was she English? And who was Mr Thompson? Years later I discovered Ann Cornelisen’s book ‘Where It All Began’ and learned about Gianna’s unusual upbringing, her work in the devastated regions of Italy in the aftermath of WW2, the identity of Mr Thompson, their love affair and its tragic end. I began to realise that Thompson was a vital influence on Gianna’s life and work and a much more significant figure in the post war reconstruction of Italy than had been previously acknowledged.
As I researched I discovered another Gianna, a lonely woman full of doubts, fears and frailties, quite different from the woman with the saintly presence. And I also learned about her close relationship with Ann Cornelisen: how their relationship developed as they worked together in one of the poorest regions in Europe and how it all ended in acrimony and bitter recrimination.
Keith Washington 2011
Click here to go to first chapter
