A young Kytherian boys' interaction with the Italian troops stationed on Kythera. Tony Fardoulys remembers.

[Tony is a Real Estate agent in Liverpool, Sydney, Australia. In the past decade he has travelled to Kythera every Kytherian summer. Town of origin: Ayia Pelagia. Parachoukli Alai].

Food sharing.

The Italians used to go to Ayia Pelagia a lot. They used to give us whatever food they had left over in "billy cans" - and we would go back and share it with the family.

They were very good to us. They were very good......

The Germans were very cold and aloof.....but the Italians were "more like us.."....

Boat re-building.

My father Theothoros, had a small boat, with a sail, moored in the water at Ayia Pelagia. Di Giorgio, the Italian Commandanto took a liking to the boat...and he used to sail backwards and forwards along the shores with it.

One day a massive storm arose - and although the boat was tied with a heavy rope...the boat was smashed. It had to be fully re-built.

Di Giorgio had the Karavas boat builder Michaelis Souris, Vlahos, rebuild the boat.....and then he gave it back to my dad.....

Life-saving.

One day, on an impulse, with my young brother John, I decided to take the boat for a row around the wharf. A big blow came in, and began to take us out to sea. The Commandanto saw us. He took off his shirt, and swam out to the boat....and he got us.

When he got into the boat, he got me by two elbows and hung me over the side of the boat...he scared the daylights out of me....but he had no bad intentions......