Castel d'Aiano (Bologna): "The bracelet of the war back home" 
From "Il Resto del Carlino - Bologna on March 3, 2011
CASTELD'AIANO - to return and 'WAS JOHN BERNARDI
The cuff of war comes home
Returned to the family of a former U.S. soldier who fought the Nazis of
GIACOMO CALISTRI -CASTEL D'Aiano-E 'NATO a close friendship between the inhabitants of the tiny village of Castel d'Aiano Sassomolare and those in the California town of Pico Rivera close in Los Angeles. This must be a silver bracelet that Raul Eliseo Villegas, a soldier of the Tenth Mountain Division U.S. gave over Elisa Ricci in 1945, a mother of the village before going to battle against the Germans along the Gothic Line. The jewel engraved with name and serial number, was never withdrawn from the military and in fact ended up in a drawer in a cabinet in the cellar. Recently, after lengthy searches in the U.S. via the Internet by Giovanni Bernardi, son of Elisa, the bracelet was sent to family members of soldiers who died in August 2003. Later he began to develop a series of correspondence between himself and Ashley Bernardi Villegas, Raul grandfather's nephew, struck down by Alzheimer's disease: "Ever since I was a kid - remember Bernardi, 62, a former physical education teacher - I felt tell my mother the story of this bracelet given to her by the military on the eve of his departure for the front line. The story I was very intrigued and after a long work on internt I managed to get in touch with his niece. Ashley received after the jewel has invited a dozen people Sasso Molar his marriage to Charles Reeves III that we think of noble origin. " The son of Elisa adds: "We have developed this belief as the lavish wedding invitations were accompanied by a peacock feather on a green background. Unfortunately we were unable to organize the group postponing a meeting with friends across the ocean in their visit to Castel d'Aiano. John Bernardi
not riesce a nascondere l’emozione el ricordare questa storia. Sia lui che Luisa Venturini, titolare della trattoria ‘I Portoni’ di Sasso Molare sono in trepida attesa di dare l’annuncio dell’arrivo sull’Appennino degli amici statunitensi intenzionati a visitare i luoghi dove nonno Raul combattè. Al loro fianco c’è il sindaco di Castel d’Aiano che non esita a dichiarare:«Il nostro comune — dice Salvatore Argentieri — ha sempre organizzato cerimonie di welcome ai superstiti della divisone alpina Usa. Saremo ben felici di promuovere analoga cerimonia per i parenti di Villegas».
