Begotten Son: Part One

Early 1940s Florence was a torturously difficult place to be. Striding the two volcanic areas of Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, and sitting by the Gulf of Naples, the city was the most bombed place in Italy during the Second World War. At least two hundred airstrikes took place between 1940 and 1944, and more than twenty thousand civilians lost their lives. Homes were crushed, limbs were lost, and hearts were torn. But the city’s people held onto their rich traditions and cultural pursuits as much as possible, finding solace in art and the romantic guitar, preserving as much of their rich architecture as they were able. Business trading continued where it was viable.

As a very rich and somewhat famous Italian merchant living in Florence, Robert Agnoli was pleased with his life and his businesses; he was thankful to still be able to run most of his companies during the war. He had good friends and was known for being gentlemanly to the core. He also gained much respect for his generosity, giving a large part of his wealth to charity. But he prayed every day for the war to end. He wanted his city to return to joy, and he was eager to have a family to share his riches with.

In 1942, a year before the Germans came to occupy the city, Robert met Bella, the love of his life, at a tea dance. While the whole world was low and depressed, Bella’s soft rouge lips and her hair, rich in colour like chestnut shells, made Robert sing. He loved her from the moment his body sank into her expressive eyes. Robert visited Bella every day at her family home two streets away, bringing her gifts – green topaz jewellery that matched her clear eyes, poems expressing how she had wrapped herself around his soul and how he never wanted to let her go. She was his life, his true soul mate, and partner. He wanted to be with her until death, give her perfect children to love, and give those children a life where they would want for nothing. He felt strongly that their children should look after his wealth and use it wisely, continuing his support for those less fortunate. He did not want his fortunes squandered and felt that money in the wrong hands could do damage.

Robert believed his wish had been granted when Bella became pregnant with their first child a year later. They had married in a stunning ceremony at their local church, which was being restored following a bomb strike, and now they patiently waited for the new arrival into their family. The couple thought about holding back until the war was over, but they were eager to confirm their lasting love for one another. They were oblivious to the tragedy that was about to hit them.

Two weeks before the baby was due, Bella went into labour and quickly became ill and weak. Her body was not able to do the job of giving birth without taking away all her own strength. She faded and faded until one hour after the baby Antonio was born, and then her life slipped away. When she was pronounced dead, the merchant’s devastation was incomprehensible. He fell on his knees, crying like his body had been cut open. He clutched his tiny son to his chest as Bella lay before them. “You are all I have now, Antonio. You have your mother’s eyes, her gentle smile. You are her gift to me, and all of your dreams will be fulfilled. I promise.” He kissed the boy’s forehead and gripped Bella’s hand. Without his wife, he saw more war and blood where he’d not noticed it before; she had been his distraction. The cities he visited were in turmoil. Corpses lay everywhere, ravaged by wild animals feasting on them.

Homes lay gutted, windows were blown out, and roofs collapsed. Businesses were derelict, and millions of children, the elderly, and the frail lost their limbs and their sight. The troubles were emphasised even more so by the fact that hundreds of thousands of children were cut off from their families. Many were destined for years full of sadness, and Robert feared for his son’s well-being. He didn’t want him being brought up in such times without a mother.