Vittorio Dal Cengio moved to Canada in 1977 after military service with the Italian Alpine Corps. He wrote books about climbing in the Dolomites, published during the 1980s, followed by six books about social history. He holds various technical diplomas from Italy and a BA (joint major in French, History, Political Sciences) from Simon Fraser University.

Vittorino Dal Cengio launched two books in Italian, Come niente fosse and Il Moroso della Rissa, about his family's experiences during WW1 (1914-1918) and WW2 (1939-1945) at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver on Feb. 5, 2019.

"It is very important for me to write about the joy and, mostly, tribulations experienced by members of my family during the two world wars," he commented. "I have heard countless times their recounting of what was life in those times at the front during bloody battles and at home and I have never ceased to marvel at their courage, resilience, patience, faith and hope in a better future for themselves but especially for their progeny.

"What they have endured is today hastily dismissed as part of turbulent times of war but their unique experiences, from a poor people point of view, the consequences of which invariably changed the course of their lives, cannot so simply be forgotten. What we cannot find on history books is told through their live voices, letters, diaries and memoirs and all this is primary source, a detailed legacy of inestimable value for generations to come.

"It would be very sad and unwise for us if their version of events dissolves from our collective memory. Hence the importance for me to be a little bridge connecting their disappeared world to our present life."

[BCBW 2019]