The Four Micòl of Ferrara
Within the European project Le Case di Micòl, funded by the CERV – Citizens, Equality, Rights and Valuesprogramme, research carried out in Ferrara has brought to light the lives of four extraordinary women whose stories echo the symbolic figure of Micòl: educated, independent, and resilient women who turned pain into memory and culture. Through archives, oral testimonies, and historical sources, the investigation reconstructed the personal and civic journeys of Maria Zamorani, Gina Finzi Schonheit, Ida Ascoli Bonfiglioli, and Carla Neppi Sadùn. Each of them lived in a house that now becomes part of a living map of remembrance — places where everyday life met history, persecution, and rebirth. Ferrara, a city of gardens and quiet strength, still holds the memory of its four Micòls: four lives, one shared story of courage and humanity.
That Garden in Ferrara, Where Carla Neppi Was Happy
In the heart of Ferrara, two places echo the same memory – that of Carla Neppi, the real-life Micòl who inspired one of the stories in Le Case di Micòl. On one side, Via Cisterna del Follo 40, where a garden remains a symbol of childhood and lost happiness. On the other, Via Vittoria 22, Carla’s actual home, inhabited by seven generations of her Jewish family. Two real addresses, still standing today, that give depth to a personal and collective story.
A Hidden Garden of Joy
At Via Cisterna del Follo 40, behind a simple and discreet gate, there is a house with a garden. This garden was once the stage for the happiness of a young Jewish girl – our Ferrara Micòl. A real house, full of life, affection, and games. Today, that place is not just a location on the map of Le Case di Micòl: it is a symbolic threshold between past and present, between intimacy and memory, between childhood and History.
The figure of the Ferrara Micòl intertwines with that of Carla Neppi, who spent her childhood in that very house before the war. Carla was the daughter of Felice Neppi, an Eridania official and WWI veteran, and Gabriella Levi from Florence. Also living in the house were her paternal grandmother Ernesta Bassani and occasionally her uncle Gino Emanuele Neppi, a doctor and a key figure in the local Jewish community. It was a cultured, affectionate, and open environment, where Carla grew up surrounded by rituals, study, play, and familial love.
In the documentary made as part of the project, Carla appears alongside her nephew, Felice Neppi. Her testimony is more than an act of remembrance: it is a bridge to those who listen, to those who must still choose where to stand today. Carla speaks with clarity and tenderness, and the garden where it all began becomes a mental, symbolic, collective space.
Exclusion, Cultural Resistance, and Escape
In 1938, the racial laws changed everything. Carla was expelled from public school and began attending the Jewish school on Via Vignatagliata. When that too became inaccessible, her home became a classroom: rooms turned into shared study spaces for other Jewish children, guided by teachers who refused to give up. It was a silent and civil resistance, built on learning, culture, and hope.
In 1943, the family narrowly escaped a raid thanks to a neighbor who lied to the fascists to save them. Thus began a flight that led Carla to Porretta Terme, then Florence, and finally to Switzerland, where they found refuge. That departure, however, was marked by trauma: Carla’s uncle Aldo, his wife Alda, and their daughter Bianca took their own lives to avoid capture by the Nazis. A desperate act that added an indelible wound to the family’s memory.
Return and Solitude
After the war, Carla was the first of her family to return to Ferrara. She found the house on Via Vittoria ransacked but still standing. She chose to remain alone to complete her studies, while the rest of her family settled in Florence. Those months were marked by resilience and determination: Carla rebuilt her connection to the city and her history on her own.
Ferrara Between Literature and Reality
The house on Via Cisterna del Follo is not far from the one described by Giorgio Bassani in his novels, particularly in The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. A garden there too, and a young Jewish woman named Micòl. But Le Case di Micòl is not a literary homage: it is a return to reality, to true stories, with real names and faces.
The intersection between fiction and documentary is one of the most interesting elements to explore with the students involved in the project. What does it mean today to tell such a personal and political story? What is the role of storytelling when History risks being forgotten, distorted, or silenced?
The Value of Memory, Now More Than Ever
Le Case di Micòl was born to recover the traces of broken happiness. It does so through historical research and also through filmmaking. Students from the participating film schools are turning the homes, faces, and words of Europe’s Micòls into powerful images. Yet, in a difficult historical moment, when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reignites tensions and polarizations, even speaking about Jewish memory has become politically fraught. Some students have chosen not to participate in the project’s communication efforts. A decision that, though understandable due to political sensitivity, challenges the very heart of our work.
But precisely for this reason, we must continue to tell these stories. Because distinguishing between the responsibilities of governments and the pain of victims is what makes us human, civil, and aware. Because History teaches us to recognize mistakes and protect those without a voice.
An Invitation to Enter
The garden at Via Cisterna del Follo still exists today. Perhaps changed, perhaps transformed by time. But in Carla’s story, and in the work of those who filmed it, it remains intact: a place of the soul. We invite everyone to enter that garden in spirit, to listen, to see, to imagine. Because every happy house remembered is a step against oblivion.
Le Case di Micòl is a European project funded by the CERV – Remembrance 2022 call and coordinated by Ferrara La Città del Cinema. Partners include: Prague Film School, Warsaw Film School, ACT (Belgium), Blow-Up Film and TV Academy (Italy), Fondazione per il centro studi di ‘Città di Orvieto’, Fondazione Giorgio Bassani, MEIS – National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah, Istituto di Storia Contemporanea di Ferrara, and Istituto di Istruzione Superiore Luigi Einaudi.