is astonishing . Ernesto entrusted messages to her , Ada sent transcripts of passages on economics and mathematics lessons to him , which were also used by fellow prisoners ( in the absence of paper and pen , they wrote exercises on the glass with their finger ). Ada supported him , she was attentive to the international situation , towards the end of the Thirties - the Spanish War , the explosion of nationalism up to the war …
Vittorio Foa , one of Ernesto ’ s companions , remembers : “ When she came to see Ernesto , it was for all of us like entering into communication with the world ”; she transmitted “ a vital charge that represented all possibilities ” ( Braga Vittori , 2017 ). Their emotional bond was of great intensity ; the marriage , celebrated in prison in 1931 , will cease to be “ putative ” only from 1939 , according to Ernesto ’ s playful definition . After the death of her husband , she becomes the custodian of the precious Salvemini-Rossi archival fund , which has gone through political controversies , now safe in Florence .
It took time to break the shell of “ wives of ”, which has left the protagonism of Ada and Ursula in the shadows in the history of the federalist utopia . Emma Bonino , commemorating her , wanted to ignore the man with whom Ada had shared hopes and struggles ; many sources give her the image of her intelligent , protective , tireless relay companion . Even an enlightened mind like Gaetano Salvemini pays her esteem and affection by virtue of the care with which he supports his beloved “ puppet ” - Ernesto ’ s affectionate nickname , in “ Letters from America ” ( Salvemini , 1967 ). And it is she herself who supports the reasons for Salvemini ’ s praise , in 1945 : “ I promise that I will always watch over Ernesto and modestly help him in my possibilities ”. It would be anachronistic to demand the language of current cultures . Rather , the apparent contradiction is an opportunity to extract new questions from such
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