I knew that man for real. We weren't truly related, he was the husband of the sister of my maternal grandfather. But to me, it didn't matter, he was a great man, he was part of the family, a part I wanted to accept, a part from which I wanted to inherit something real.

He used to come every summer to my grandparent's house, a much preferable option to the solitude of his house. His birthday was a few days after that of my sister, my father, and my grandfather, so we used to have a huge birthday party with four cakes.

I could share a thousand anecdotes about him, such as his inevitable weekly enigmas magazine that he used to solve calmly on a chair on the front porch, his old-style walking stick as thin as him, his thick and round glasses, and the amazing eyes behind them.

Then a summer he didn't come, they said we started to go crazy, to lose his memory, and that he was put in a retirement home. They said he was starting to recover, but that probably he needed to stay there and that we would have seen him only once in a while. After a year, he received the news that he was gone.

I received his hat, a medal-holder, and a copy of his diary. Not that these things belonged to me or that I was an heir of him, but none would have claimed that stuff. Well, not quite, since his rightful heirs would soon have claimed the contents of the medal holder. Three Crosses of Merit, not your average private soldier, so to speak. Luck for me none knew of the golden medal to the survivors of the lagers, or something like that, unfortunately, I've left it at home, safe, but I swear that as soon as I get back home I'll take it and I won't leave it again.

Sorry, I'm a bit off track, diary, right? Yes, I knew I had written one, but when I asked around it seemed none had a copy until it was too late.

The original is in Italian and none translated it before, so I took this task upon myself. I'm aware that my English is not perfect and I would appreciate any help on the matter. If you want to enjoy the original, it should be published on my account as well.

Apart from the translation, this introduction, and a brief final reflection, there won't be any other intervention of mine during the transcription, which will stay faithful to the original that I received.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, this is his story.