Sportswomen of the Fascist Era

This chapter presents brief biographies of Ondina Valla and other prominent sportswomen of the Fascist era, along with excerpts from interviews with Valla and others. These interviews are not necessarily representative of former sportswomen in general, but are simply selected examples of the ways in which such women recall participating in the phenomenon of women’s sport in the closing years of the Fascist era. The interviews include some oral testimonies collected in the region of Marche in central Italy. It has not been possible to collect information according to prearranged schemes because those interviewed, who were of course well on in years, preferred to talk about their experiences in ‘semi-monologue’ form. The questions were necessarily submitted in ‘open form’ and in a few cases the answers were a little vague. In general, by telling their own stories those interviewed predictably revealed a certain nostalgia for their early youth and promise, but also a sort of embarrassment in talking about a period that has been taboo in Italy ever since the fall of the regime. They recall singular realities that cannot be represented easily in conventional historical writing. These realities touch on private spheres, identities, emotions and silent memories, which would otherwise be irretrievably lost. ¹