Barbara Serra always knew that her grandfather had been a prominent fascist in Mussolini’s regime. Her dad mentioned it whenever they travelled back to Italy for the summer holidays and drove past the Sardinian town of Carbonia, where her grandfather had been the fascist Mayor. But Barbara only realised the depth of her grandfather’s involvement in the darkest chapter Italy’s history decades later, when she discovered a letter from the Nazis addressed to her grandfather among some old family pictures.

From this discovery begins a search to uncover her grandfather’s role in the regime and to understand
his motivations, as a World War One veteran and initially anti-fascist, for joining Mussolini’s regime and becoming an integral part in the creation of the mining town of Carbonia, a project dear to Mussolini’s heart as the sounds of war grew louder and the need for coal greater.

This dive into the dark history of her family and native country, coincides with fascism and the threat to democracy becoming common themes in Barbara’s work as a TV news presenter, first with Al Jazeera English and then Sky News. The clouds of political instability, dictatorship and war which engulfed her grandfather’s life now seem to be gathering again.

Barbara’s dual British and Italian identity and her journalistic background allow her to weave a narrative that questions the fragility of democratic values in today’s society. As she navigates her grandfather’s experiences, she poses vital questions about the current rise of populism and the amnesia surrounding fascism. In a journey which is both journalistic and deeply personal, Barbara Serra’s exploration is as powerful as it is relevant.

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