Elaine asked Dan Ames:

I've just read To Find a Mountain, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I just have a question - insignificant really, but it's bugging me. I know Italian for German is Tedesci, but you use the term Germanesi. Is this dialect, local to the area where the novel is set, or was it a (derogarory?) term used during the occupation?

Dan Ames Thank you, Elaine! Almost all of my research for the book was done with people who lived through the events described in the book. Not ALL of the events are true, of course. But in this village, at that time, the term Germanesi is what was used. I'm not sure if it was technically derogatory or not. I also thought it was easily understood for non-Italian speakers. Thanks for your question!

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