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We have no detailed information about orphanages in Italy. We suspect that most orphanages in Italy were founded and supported by the Catholic Church. We are not sure to what extent the state was involved. One might think that the Fascist Government in the 1920s-40s might have given some attention to orphans. There must have been a serious problems with orohaned and displaced children in Italy after World War II. We have no details on the situation at this time. Hopefully our Italian readers will provide us some information about orphanages in Italy. We do know that an Irish priest, John Patrick Carroll-Abbing (1912-2001), founded Boys' Towns of Italy inspired by Edward Joseph Flanagan (1886-1948) in the United States. Father Carroll-Abbing founded the first Italian Boys' Town at Civitavecchia (near Rome) in 1945. It was followed by eight additional Boys' Towns during 1946-1955.
We have no detailed information about orphanages in Italy. We suspect that most orphanages in Italy were founded and supported by the Catholic Church. Traditionally until the 20th century, it was the Catholic church that was responsible for social welfare in Italy. The Santa Maria Della Scala hospice and hospital in Siena datesback to the 11th century. This institutions provided care for poor and abandoned children. It appears to have been orpganages, hoever, rather than workhouses.
We also notice the Real Albergo dei Poveri (Royal Poorhouse). The Real Albergo dei Poveri was provided for in the will of the Bourbon King Charles III (Mid-18th century). This seems to have been more of a poor house than an orphanage as they took in poor families and adults, but theu also took in orphans so it has to be considered in any assessment of Italian orphanages. It sheltered orphan boys and girls, but also poor women and men. The Kings of Naples had a paternalistic attitude toward the people. We note Murat who Napoleon made king of Naples visiting the Real Albergo about 1810. We have little information about the Real Albergo was operated or how it compared with orphanges and poor houses in other countries
We are not sure to what extent the state was involved. We have non information on traditional orphanages. We do notecreports of large numbers of street children. Many of these were not orphans in
thectraditional sence of children who had lost their patents. Rather they were children whose parents were unable or unwilling o care for them. We note the The "Nave Scuola Marinaretti Caracciolo" (School Ship Sailor-boys Caracciolo) started in 1913. We do not have comolete details, but was presumably financed by the Royal Government. It was managed by Mrs. Giulia Civita Franceschini. A
group of scugnizzi (stree boys) was sheltered aboard an old ship moored in the port of Naples. The boys could study and learn for a job. The Fascist regime closed the school and transferred the boys (1928).We are not sur just why.
One might think that the Fascist Government in the 1920s-40s might have given some attention to orphans, but we do not yet have any details.
Italy entered the War in the wake of the successful German invasion of France. As a result of the starteling successful German offensives. The War was at first fought in distant locations and not Italy. Italy was not immediately affected, but unlike Germany which was more effectively despoiling occupied countries, serious shortages began to develop. Italy was not a wealthy country before the War and did not have an economy capable of supporting a prolonged war effort. The first major impact upon children were the war casualties. The Italian war effort did not go well. There were casualties in Greece (October 1940) and even more in North Africa after the failed invasion of Egypt (September 1940). The British struck back and took large numbers of Italians POWs (December 1940). Lossess only mounted with the Italian forces in Russia, Tunisia, and finally Sicily. And after Sicily lerft the War, the Germans interned the Italian Army, deporting them to grim labor camps in the Reich. Almost all of the Italians POWs taken by the Western Allies survived, but there were substantial mortality rates in the German camps, and few Italian POWs returned from the Soviet Gulag. This meant that large numbers of Italian children were left with only their mother to support them. And in a collapsing economy this was very difficult. The Allied invasion of Italy (September 3-8, 1943) commenced a military campaign which began at the tip of the Italian border and continued north to the Po Vally until the Germans surrendered (May 1945). The fighting devestated villages and cities all along the way. Large numbers of children were displaced as well as many orphaned. We have very few details on the dimensions of the problem are the measures taken by Italian authorities to deal with it at this time. We do known that an Irish priest, influenced by Father Flanigan's Boys' Town, organized Boys' Republic in 1945. The Catholic Church had programs to support war orphans. In many cases this mean children who had lost their fathers and the mother was unable to support them.
Italy was left in a terrible state after the campaign fought from the toe of Italy to the Pol Valley. Thousands of children had been orphabed or displaced. Even if not orphaned, mny Italian mothers had no means of support or ability to care for their children. Large numbers of Italian men had been killed in North Africa or taken prisone. After the Itlian syrrnder (Septenber 1943), the Germans internned the Italian Army and deported them to campaign the Reich. The fighting up and down the Italian Peninsula created further disuptions a separations if families. There were also large number of childrem injured in th fighing or subsequent accidents witj land mines and unexploded ordinamce.
We do know that an Irish priest, John Patrick (1912-2001), founded Boys' Towns of Italy. Father Carroll-Abbing was born in Holdham (Ireland). As a young man he went to Rome in 1930 to study for priesthood. After becoming a priest he served in Italy. As a result of World war II, he saw the need to care for the many displaced and orphaned children. He was inspired by Edward Joseph Flanagan (1886-1948) in the United States who founded Boys' Town. Father Carroll-Abbing founded the first Italian Boys' Town at Civitavecchia (near Rome) in 1945. He took in both orphans and abandoned stree children. The Boys' Town of Civitavecchia was known as "Repubblica dei Ragazzi" (Boys' Republic). Boys studied and worked in the "Republic". Of course the problem of abandoned children did not just exist in Rome. The first Italian Boys' Town was followed by eight additional Boys' Towns during 1946-1955.
Many children were not just orphaned or separated from their families, but also injured. These children reuired speciast care. we have very limited information on the facilities established for their care. Here we see what looks like an orphanage for injured children after World War II. We have no identifying information as to the name of the orphanage or location, although Rome is likely. It looks to us like the children have sufferd war injuries with hands and feet blown off. These re the kinds of injuries rsulting from piking up grenades are stepping on land mines, but other wr injuries are possible. One source fates the image to 1950. It may have been taken a few years earllier. If it was 1950, given the age of the children, som of the injuries may have been susttained after the actul end of the wr in 1945. Ther were huge numbers of mines and unexploded ordinance located at countless site. This orphanage hd a rompers sun-suit tyoe uniform designed to expose the children to fresh air and sunshine.
A legal dispute that occurred after the end of Worldar II. The Vatican under Pope Pius XII issued instructions that Catholic institutions and families should keep custody of Jewish children that had been baptized after they had been hiden and saved from deportation and murder by the NAZIs (1946). This primrily concerned Jewish children in France, but may have affcted some Itlian children as well. The Papal instructions were dted November 20, 1946, more than a year after the War. The Popeinstructed that that orphaned Jewish children if baptized, despite the circumstances of German-occupied France should be cared for by Catholic families and institutions. Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII, was serving as Nuncio for France, and reportedly ignored the Papal directive. He would later be recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous among the Nations because of his assistance to the Jewish underground while serving as Nuncio in Greece and Turkey. This became an issue as it had some similarity to the controversial Mortara Affair because the Vatican had issued very similar instructions concerming Edgardo Mortara, who was given an 'emergency' baptism and then taken from his Jewish parents (1858s).
Orphans for most of Italian history were taken in my relatives. A child without relatives was in great danger. The first Itklaina indtitution to do deal with orphans was the Catholic churech. We do not yet have much information on the Church's role with prohand pr when the first actual orhoanage was established. We do know that until the 20th centyry, the various Italuan states instituted no effort to care for orphans until the 20th centuyry. Itt only began with the Italian-Turkish War in Libya and than in a more important way World War I. But it was the Catholic Church that took on the primary role. We have few details, but one orphanage was the Villa Nazareth Orphanage in Rome.
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