{"product_id":"trails-to-freedom","title":"Trails to Freedom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTrails to Freedom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis the story of a solo hike across the Alps that brings to life the fascinating, largely unknown history of the Anzac POWs who escaped Fascist Italy to find safety in neutral Switzerland during WWII.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn October 1943, four Australian soldiers left Biella in the foothills of the Alps in northern Turin, fleeing Italy's Nazi-Fascist regime. They spoke no Italian, and they had scant clothing and no food. With the help of local partisans, who offered support at great risk to themselves and their families, the soldiers crossed into neutral Switzerland eight days later. They were four of more than 500 Anzac POWs who followed the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003esentieri della liberta\u003c\/i\u003e, the trails to freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDecades later, author Simon Tancred embarks on a modern-day pilgrimage along the same route. With every step he takes, history rises to meet him: the stories of the four escapees, the Italian anti-fascists who helped them and the Anzac soldiers who didn't make it. He remembers, too, his uncle John, a POW who perished in the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Along the way, he passes through some of the most spectacular and challenging terrain in Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hardie Grant","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43722314711074,"sku":"9781761451751","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0052\/0785\/1042\/files\/Copy-of-Book-Template---2025-04-07T130211-423.jpg?v=1743987836","url":"https:\/\/petronella.pro\/products\/trails-to-freedom","provider":"Petronella's Gallery and Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}