Chair's message

Prof Phil Cooke reports on his first six months as the Trust’s new chair and reflects on the conviction of our founder, Keith Killby, that learning languages is key to interacting with people from other cultures.

Trustees stepping down

The Trust is enormously grateful to Ian Laing and Christopher Prentice for their wise guidance over a number of years. As Christopher and Ian step down as trustees, they recall how they first became involved.

New trustees

Our two new trustees, Baroness Bonham-Carter and Tom Carver, bring a wealth of experience and strong connections with Italy to the board.

Student report

David Kettle, Student Co-ordinator and Administrator, looks ahead to a busy summer during which we will welcome a record number of 42 young Italians on English language study bursaries.

Progress in the “Allies in Italy” project

Nermina Delic and John Simkins record the substantial progress in our Anglo-Italian project, “Allies in Italy”, co-funded with the Parri institute.

Liberation Day

Nermina Delic reports on celebrations in London that marked the 80th anniversary of Italy’s Liberation Day, organised by several UK-based Italian organisations.

Photos of contadini on tour

Anne Copley, who helped organise a touring exhibition of impressive photos of contadini, explains their significance.

Italy's rescue trains

Elena Anna Spagnuolo describes her research into the largely forgotten but immensely influential Treni della felicità, which from 1945 to 1950 transported destitute Italian children to temporary homes in more prosperous areas of Italy.

My Father's Odyssey

Helped by Italians, American fighter bomber pilot Robert (Bob) Drew survived for over three months behind enemy lines after being shot down over central Italy. His daughter, Lisa W. Drew, tells his remarkable story.

Obituary - Edward Gretton

Letitia Blake pays an affectionate tribute to the late Edward Gretton, who made a massive contribution to the Trust in his role as Student Co-ordinator.