Ration cards
Ration cards
I am new to this forum. I've had a quick search but couldn't find what I'm specifically after. I am researching every day life in 1943 under Fascism in Italy and prior to capitulation on Sept 8 1943. My question is - for someone living in Rome - were they required to have a ration card to obtain food? Was this an actual card like other countries or did the Fascist badge serve as the "ration card"? I've read some sources that say every citizen was expected to be a member of the Fascist Party - if you weren't, you did not obtain a ration card or badge. I'm hoping someone knows if citizens had a card or badge (or both) and also what the rations might have consisted of. Many thanks!!
Re: Ration cards
The carta (or tessera) annonaria was a ration card as in other countries during WW2 and the rations were the same for everybody. Anyway, the membership of the Fascist Part was not compulsory.
Re: Ration cards
Thank you DrG for your reply! I was thinking that there must have been an actual card but wasn't sure. Can anyone point me to a link of what it looked like? Or know of what amounts of food people could have? And if anyone knows of a library in Italy I could contact - that would be much appreciated.
Re: Ration cards
Some pictures here: https://www.google.it/search?q=carta+an ... 42&bih=568
This website (in Italian): https://guerrainfame.it/carta_annonaria contains some information on this card and (in other pages) about the food situation in Italy during World War II, although the focus is on the region of Emilia-Romagna (north-eastern Italy) rather than Rome.
Speaking of food situation in Rome (although not exactly the period you are looking for, I see), I just finished reading "Il diario dell'attesa", the diary of Fedora Brcic, the wife of Admiral Emilio Brenta, who lived in Rome during World War II. In the daily entries there are a lot of remarks on the food situation in German- and then Allied-occupied Rome, from September 1943 to October 1945, and on Fedora's daily struggle to procure enough food, the thriving black market, the rising prices of food that became a serious problem even for a lady who belonged to a rather wealthy family.
Re: Ration cards
My Italian is probably okay enough to try and make my way through the website you've provided - thank you so much!! I'll also get the diary you mention - good way to up my Italian skills. I appreciate your help. It's such a fascinating period of history. I admire the Italian people because at one point there were four armies/fighting groups in the country (Allies, Germans, partisans, Badoglio and King). A relative of mine was a POW in an Italian camp and left when the guards threw open the gates in Sept '43 - he was helped by a number of local families because he couldn't get through to the Allies in the south. Without those families.....