19 February 2021
On 16 February, at the Beghi Library in La Spezia, the book launch for Volti dal Fondo.20 voci di donne dall’Archivio Storico della Melara, organised by the Associazione Museo della Melara, took place. The book, edited by Alessandra Vesco and Alessandro Cecchinelli, is the third volume of the Melara Museum Association's Quaderni – a series of publications aimed at enhancing business culture.
The publication opens with forwards from Gianpiero Lorandi, President of the Associazione Museo della Melara, and Raffaella Luglini, Director General of the FondazioneLeonardo - Civiltà delle Macchine, which looks after the integrated archival museum network to which the Associazione Museo della Melara also belongs. Sponsored by the Municipality of La Spezia, the book also contains a forward by Pierluigi Peracchini, Mayor of the city.
The book uses data taken from the individual personnel files kept in the OTO Melara Historical Archive to profile 20 women who worked in the company during the Second World War. The information obtained from the documents will form the basis of a study that will present a realistic picture of the roles of women in Italy in the 1940s.
The book is enriched by multimedia (accessible via QR Code) that links each entry to a document that tells the story of the worker from history read by a worker from present day. This approach joins together colleagues over the passage of time, offering a reflection on the past and an opportunity to empathise with those who preceded us.