1962
Jim stayed with Gianna for New Year and Ann still avoided seeing them. However, on the 4th January Jim telephoned Ann asking if he could come round to the Via Quattro Fontane flat as he wanted to explain things. He arrived just before 6pm and did not leave until 10.15 having demolished two thirds of a bottle of scotch. During this time he said nothing about his family or the divorce, presumably the reason for coming. When Ann telephoned Gianna to tell her that Jim was on his way back home, Gianna was furious with Ann for keeping him so long. Ann retorted that on the contrary she hadn’t been able to get rid of him and I stated that I hope to have nothing further to do with him (5/1)
It must have been a difficult situation for Jim. Perhaps he sensed Ann’s personal hostility but he still felt the need to explain his domestic circumstances to the woman who had, until recently, been Gianna’s closest friend. They met again a few days later and he confirmed what she already knew: that he was still married with a wife and children and that he wanted to get a divorce. What she didn’t know, however, was that he and his family were still living together in the same house. Ann’s reaction was forthright and unsympathetic: He is simply not worth it (9/1).
Jim returned to London on the 10th and the following day Ann and Gianna were able to have a private conversation. Gianna said she knew that things with Jim were a mess but she had never felt so comfortable with a man. He fully intended getting a divorce, resigning from the Fund and moving to Italy. She went on to explain the fainting episode. Ann was shocked and probably felt bad that she had avoided Gianna throughout the holidays. On the 12th she wrote: I have never seen Gianna look so frightened as she is now and never more tragic. She finally said that I was the closest thing to family that she had. Ann offered to help in any way she could and assured her that she would cover for her when she went to England for treatment.
Two days later Ann drove a frightened Gianna to the airport. As she left she promised to cable with her address in London. Four days later Ann had still heard nothing and was worried and angry.Despite their differences Ann was genuinely concerned for Gianna’s health and it was certainly thoughtless, if not rude and inconsiderate, not to have kept Ann informed. The situation was hardly improved the following day when Jim finally telephoned at 1 o’clock in the morning. However, the news was positive: there was no evidence of a brain tumour although she had a long standing ‘infection’ but that could be treated with medicine. Perhaps the reason for the lack of communication was that Gianna was concerned that news of her illness should not leak out to Ida, Sorino, Margherita and Giovanna in Ortona who did not know that she was in England. They telephoned Ann every day and she was left uncomfortably having to improvise.
Gianna returned to Italy on the 29th and resumed work.
Jim came to visit on 4th April and on the 9th Gianna, Jim and Ann set off on a short trip to the South, presumably to introduce Jim to the work beyond Abruzzo. Ann felt uncomfortable being with Jim and Gianna, especially as they sat in the back of the car as she drove them around. She felt as if she was being treated as a chauffeur. She described Jim to her parents as a dull lower middle class Englishman with airs and graces who disliked Americans (10/4). Sleeping arrangements were also a problem. She felt silly being with them in hotels and also, at the house in Ortona at the end of the trip. She wondered if she was prissy (13/4)
Jim remained in Italy for almost four weeks and he and Gianna left for London on the 24th April. Meanwhile in Italy Ann complained that Gianna had been neglecting her work and problems were piling up. When Gianna returned to Rome three weeks later they began planning the next few months’ work schedule in an attempt to clear the backlog. As far as Ann was concerned she was capable of dealing with her own work problems as long as she was given a free hand (25/5): Gianna could clear up her own mess. She continues: of course the whole thing is complicated by Jim arriving at the end of July with 40 English boys to do some more work camps, of which I do not approve. Ann doesn’t explain why she was so against the camps but it is possible that she suspected that they were a device to involve Jim in ‘The Work’ and give him a legitimate excuse to spend the summer in Italy.
Jim was confident that his divorce would be completed before Christmas and that he and Gianna would then be free to marry. Even though they would still be based in Ortona, the Via Babuino apartment would be too small for them both and so Gianna approached the manager of the apartments in Via Quattro Fontane about taking the empty apartment adjacent to Ann and Nina. It is not clear if the possibility of being close neighbours was discussed between them prior to Gianna making an offer but on July 14th Ann wrote that the idea did not charm Nina. If they hadn’t talked about it, it would seem to be another example of Gianna’s insensitivity to Ann’s privacy. Ann does not express a strong opinion on the matter although the arrangement had advantages for her: a room in Gianna’s apartment would be used as the Fund’s official office in Rome and Ann would be the office manager there. It would certainly free up space in her own flat and a stroll to work across a few metres of hallway was very convenient.
Jim arrived back on the 19th July to prepare for the work camps which began at several locations in Abruzzo at the beginning of August. I took part in the camp at Casiglione Messer Marino where I spent he summer painting a new nursery building. Gianna agreed rental terms for the Via Quattro Fontane apartment and she made a brief visit to Rome to sign the contract. Her stomach problem had returned and Ann wrote: she looks awful and is beginning to find Jim a trial I think.....it sounded as though Jim and life in general seemed a bit gloomy and drab which is just what it should not seem at this point. Despite all the complaints that Ann made about Gianna’s insensitivity and inefficiency, she remained concerned for her: for all I get cross at her I will do anything I can to help if she needs it.(10/8)
However, both Gianna and Jim appeared in good spirits a few days later when they joined the groups of work campers who had assembled at Campobasso to celebrate Ferragosto.
While the work camps were still in progress the area around Naples suffered a serious earthquake. The major relief agencies swung into action and Gianna offered SCF supplies to the Prefects of the affected provinces. Jim wanted to be involved in the relief effort, although the Fund would not do the major part of its work until after the other organisations had left. Ann felt, perhaps unfairly, that he was trying to find a role for himself and attempting to justify staying longer but by the beginning of September he and the work campers returned to London and on the 5th Ann wrote: Gianna has come back to normal, more or less.
Three days later Gianna flew to London for meetings and was reunited with Jim, leaving Ann to set up the office in the next door apartment. She returned to Rome on the 17th and moved her furniture from Via Babuino to Via Quattro Fontane. Living and working in such close proximity presented obvious dangers: the distinction between work and personal life might become blurred. In October there were minor squabbles about garbage disposal. More importantly, Gianna again failed to recognise that Ann was no longer a junior assistant: she seems to think that I am going to do a lot of things for her that I feel are completely personal and having to do with the office not at all. Perhaps Gianna was unable to make the distinction in her own life: ‘The Work’ was her life and it was her devotion to her work that made her so special in the eyes of most people she met.
Jim’s divorce was granted at the end of October but it would not be finalised until January. He would be free to move to Italy to be with Gianna by the end of the year although he still had no idea what work he might do. In November he returned to Rome for a weekend to celebrate Ann’s birthday on the 12th. Relations between them seem to have improved and that night he, Gianna, Ann and Nina spent a convivial evening having dinner. Gianna and Jim gave Ann two trees for the terrace as a birthday present and Ann wrote to her parents that she had never been as happy as she had been in the previous year.
Gianna and Ann continued working together as winter set in and they battled with snow, floods and the cold on their trips to the south. However, towards the end of 1962, Ann once again began contemplating resigning from the SCF and writing the book about Southern Italy that she had abandoned in 1959 when she went to Tricarico. She discussed this with Gianna (29/1/63) but no immediate decision was taken.
Perhaps it was the impending arrival of Jim that persuaded her that it was time to leave. There would now be somebody else at Gianna’s side and Ann was not the kind of person who would be happy playing ‘second fiddle’. Or perhaps it was the realisation that she and Gianna no longer had the special bond that kept them together for nine years.
Ann had promised her parents that she would return home for Christmas to visit them in their new home in Rome, Georgia and on the 9th December she left Nina in Rome, Italy to fly to the USA.
There is nothing in the archive about Jim leaving the SCF but he would have been free by December and probably spent Christmas with Gianna. He was certainly in Italy when Ann returned from the USA at the end of January.
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Jim stayed with Gianna for New Year and Ann still avoided seeing them. However, on the 4th January Jim telephoned Ann asking if he could come round to the Via Quattro Fontane flat as he wanted to explain things. He arrived just before 6pm and did not leave until 10.15 having demolished two thirds of a bottle of scotch. During this time he said nothing about his family or the divorce, presumably the reason for coming. When Ann telephoned Gianna to tell her that Jim was on his way back home, Gianna was furious with Ann for keeping him so long. Ann retorted that on the contrary she hadn’t been able to get rid of him and I stated that I hope to have nothing further to do with him (5/1)
It must have been a difficult situation for Jim. Perhaps he sensed Ann’s personal hostility but he still felt the need to explain his domestic circumstances to the woman who had, until recently, been Gianna’s closest friend. They met again a few days later and he confirmed what she already knew: that he was still married with a wife and children and that he wanted to get a divorce. What she didn’t know, however, was that he and his family were still living together in the same house. Ann’s reaction was forthright and unsympathetic: He is simply not worth it (9/1).
Jim returned to London on the 10th and the following day Ann and Gianna were able to have a private conversation. Gianna said she knew that things with Jim were a mess but she had never felt so comfortable with a man. He fully intended getting a divorce, resigning from the Fund and moving to Italy. She went on to explain the fainting episode. Ann was shocked and probably felt bad that she had avoided Gianna throughout the holidays. On the 12th she wrote: I have never seen Gianna look so frightened as she is now and never more tragic. She finally said that I was the closest thing to family that she had. Ann offered to help in any way she could and assured her that she would cover for her when she went to England for treatment.
Two days later Ann drove a frightened Gianna to the airport. As she left she promised to cable with her address in London. Four days later Ann had still heard nothing and was worried and angry.Despite their differences Ann was genuinely concerned for Gianna’s health and it was certainly thoughtless, if not rude and inconsiderate, not to have kept Ann informed. The situation was hardly improved the following day when Jim finally telephoned at 1 o’clock in the morning. However, the news was positive: there was no evidence of a brain tumour although she had a long standing ‘infection’ but that could be treated with medicine. Perhaps the reason for the lack of communication was that Gianna was concerned that news of her illness should not leak out to Ida, Sorino, Margherita and Giovanna in Ortona who did not know that she was in England. They telephoned Ann every day and she was left uncomfortably having to improvise.
Gianna returned to Italy on the 29th and resumed work.
Jim came to visit on 4th April and on the 9th Gianna, Jim and Ann set off on a short trip to the South, presumably to introduce Jim to the work beyond Abruzzo. Ann felt uncomfortable being with Jim and Gianna, especially as they sat in the back of the car as she drove them around. She felt as if she was being treated as a chauffeur. She described Jim to her parents as a dull lower middle class Englishman with airs and graces who disliked Americans (10/4). Sleeping arrangements were also a problem. She felt silly being with them in hotels and also, at the house in Ortona at the end of the trip. She wondered if she was prissy (13/4)
Jim remained in Italy for almost four weeks and he and Gianna left for London on the 24th April. Meanwhile in Italy Ann complained that Gianna had been neglecting her work and problems were piling up. When Gianna returned to Rome three weeks later they began planning the next few months’ work schedule in an attempt to clear the backlog. As far as Ann was concerned she was capable of dealing with her own work problems as long as she was given a free hand (25/5): Gianna could clear up her own mess. She continues: of course the whole thing is complicated by Jim arriving at the end of July with 40 English boys to do some more work camps, of which I do not approve. Ann doesn’t explain why she was so against the camps but it is possible that she suspected that they were a device to involve Jim in ‘The Work’ and give him a legitimate excuse to spend the summer in Italy.
Jim was confident that his divorce would be completed before Christmas and that he and Gianna would then be free to marry. Even though they would still be based in Ortona, the Via Babuino apartment would be too small for them both and so Gianna approached the manager of the apartments in Via Quattro Fontane about taking the empty apartment adjacent to Ann and Nina. It is not clear if the possibility of being close neighbours was discussed between them prior to Gianna making an offer but on July 14th Ann wrote that the idea did not charm Nina. If they hadn’t talked about it, it would seem to be another example of Gianna’s insensitivity to Ann’s privacy. Ann does not express a strong opinion on the matter although the arrangement had advantages for her: a room in Gianna’s apartment would be used as the Fund’s official office in Rome and Ann would be the office manager there. It would certainly free up space in her own flat and a stroll to work across a few metres of hallway was very convenient.
Jim arrived back on the 19th July to prepare for the work camps which began at several locations in Abruzzo at the beginning of August. I took part in the camp at Casiglione Messer Marino where I spent he summer painting a new nursery building. Gianna agreed rental terms for the Via Quattro Fontane apartment and she made a brief visit to Rome to sign the contract. Her stomach problem had returned and Ann wrote: she looks awful and is beginning to find Jim a trial I think.....it sounded as though Jim and life in general seemed a bit gloomy and drab which is just what it should not seem at this point. Despite all the complaints that Ann made about Gianna’s insensitivity and inefficiency, she remained concerned for her: for all I get cross at her I will do anything I can to help if she needs it.(10/8)
However, both Gianna and Jim appeared in good spirits a few days later when they joined the groups of work campers who had assembled at Campobasso to celebrate Ferragosto.
While the work camps were still in progress the area around Naples suffered a serious earthquake. The major relief agencies swung into action and Gianna offered SCF supplies to the Prefects of the affected provinces. Jim wanted to be involved in the relief effort, although the Fund would not do the major part of its work until after the other organisations had left. Ann felt, perhaps unfairly, that he was trying to find a role for himself and attempting to justify staying longer but by the beginning of September he and the work campers returned to London and on the 5th Ann wrote: Gianna has come back to normal, more or less.
Three days later Gianna flew to London for meetings and was reunited with Jim, leaving Ann to set up the office in the next door apartment. She returned to Rome on the 17th and moved her furniture from Via Babuino to Via Quattro Fontane. Living and working in such close proximity presented obvious dangers: the distinction between work and personal life might become blurred. In October there were minor squabbles about garbage disposal. More importantly, Gianna again failed to recognise that Ann was no longer a junior assistant: she seems to think that I am going to do a lot of things for her that I feel are completely personal and having to do with the office not at all. Perhaps Gianna was unable to make the distinction in her own life: ‘The Work’ was her life and it was her devotion to her work that made her so special in the eyes of most people she met.
Jim’s divorce was granted at the end of October but it would not be finalised until January. He would be free to move to Italy to be with Gianna by the end of the year although he still had no idea what work he might do. In November he returned to Rome for a weekend to celebrate Ann’s birthday on the 12th. Relations between them seem to have improved and that night he, Gianna, Ann and Nina spent a convivial evening having dinner. Gianna and Jim gave Ann two trees for the terrace as a birthday present and Ann wrote to her parents that she had never been as happy as she had been in the previous year.
Gianna and Ann continued working together as winter set in and they battled with snow, floods and the cold on their trips to the south. However, towards the end of 1962, Ann once again began contemplating resigning from the SCF and writing the book about Southern Italy that she had abandoned in 1959 when she went to Tricarico. She discussed this with Gianna (29/1/63) but no immediate decision was taken.
Perhaps it was the impending arrival of Jim that persuaded her that it was time to leave. There would now be somebody else at Gianna’s side and Ann was not the kind of person who would be happy playing ‘second fiddle’. Or perhaps it was the realisation that she and Gianna no longer had the special bond that kept them together for nine years.
Ann had promised her parents that she would return home for Christmas to visit them in their new home in Rome, Georgia and on the 9th December she left Nina in Rome, Italy to fly to the USA.
There is nothing in the archive about Jim leaving the SCF but he would have been free by December and probably spent Christmas with Gianna. He was certainly in Italy when Ann returned from the USA at the end of January.
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