Floria

Born in a small village near Florence Italy in 1922 Floria Calugi spends her childhood on the sunny slopes of the Italian countryside. Her father is transferred to Florence when she is a teenager and she spends her high school days in the city.</p>The advent of World War II coincides with her graduation from high school and brings an abrupt end to her carefree existence when her father is recalled into the Italian Army. Despite the war raging around her Floria attends the University of Florence. However her family does not escape the horrors of war. They endure hunger and evacuation and Floria is nearly raped. At the end of the war she marries an American serviceman and arrives in the United States only to have him tell her that marrying her was a mistake. Their marriage ends in divorce. Brokenhearted Floria moves to California where she meets and marries John Leet.</p>In the following years John and Floria raise seven children together. However life continues to present challenges and she must cope with the pain of losing her husband to illness and her eldest son to an auto accident within two years of each other. Floria finds the strength to persevere through the love of her family and her faith. From a rural village in Tuscany Italy to San Jose California <I>Floria: An Autobiography</I> reveals Floria's journey of unwavering courage.