This is from the 1982 yearbook, page 128 or so:
THE OPENING OF AN ITALIAN OFFICE
The war ended, leaving a toll of death and ruin throughout the peninsula. Although the work continued to be under the direction of the Swiss branch, an office was opened in Italy after 1919. It was at Pinerolo in a house rented at 11 Via Silvio Pellico.
In 1922 Brother Remigio Cuminetti replaced Sister Cerulli as Italy’s representative of the Society. It was considered no longer appropriate to have a woman in this position of responsibility when it could be filled by a man who had given more than sufficient proof of his integrity. Sister Cerulli, however, was offended by this change, and she left the truth.
After the war, the task of translating the Watch Tower Society’s publications was taken over by Professor Giuseppe Banchetti.
He was a Waldensian pastor, but he had studied the truth and appreciated its value. He had even tried to incorporate certain beliefs into his own religion by preaching them from the pulpit, but without success.However, he left the seeds of truth in various parts of the country. Around 1913 he was at Cerignola, in the province of Foggia, where the Society used to send him regular consignments of literature. These consignments continued to arrive at the local Waldensian church even after his death, and, later on, a group of Bible Students was formed by persons who had read the literature.Besides The Watch Tower, Professor Banchetti translated the books The Harp of God and Deliverance, as well as a number of booklets. Like Professor Rivoire, he never completely broke away from the Waldensian Church, although he believed the Watch Tower Society’s explanations of the Bible and spread the message.
When Professor Banchetti died in 1926, translations were made for a short time by a certain Mrs. Courtial, who translated the book Creation. In 1928, however, the task was assigned to a dedicated person, Brother Giosuè Vittorio Paschetto, who carried on the work of translation until the day of his arrest by the Fascist police, November 7, 1939. During this period he translated the books Government, Reconciliation, Life, Prophecy, Light (2 volumes), Vindication (3 volumes), Preparation, Preservation, Jehovah, Riches, Enemies and Salvation. These publications were truly ‘food in due season’ for God’s people. (Matt. 24:45) One of them in particular, the book Enemies, caused a tremendous wave of persecution to sweep over the small existing group of brothers on account of its outspoken attitude regarding the issue of neutrality.
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In 1891 a certain American traveler stopped off at Pinerolo during his first series of visits to Europe. He was Charles Taze Russell, the first president of the Watch Tower Society. There at Pinerolo he met Professor Daniele Rivoire, a Waldensian who taught languages at the Waldensian cultural center of Torre Pellice. Though Professor Rivoire never became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, he showed much interest in spreading the Bible's message as explained in the Watch Tower Society's publications.
Moreover, around 1903 Professor Rivoire translated the book The Divine Plan of the Ages into Italian. He had the book printed at his own expense at the Tipografia Sociale in 1904.This was before an Italian edition of the book came out in the United States. In his 1904 edition, Professor Rivoire wrote the following note to its readers: "We place this first Italian edition under the Lord's protection. May he bless it, so that, in spite of its imperfections, it may contribute to magnify his most holy name and encourage his Italian-speaking children to greater devotion."Jehovah did bless the outcome of this book's distribution.
Professor Rivoire also began to translate Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence into Italian. It was published quarterly in 1903 and was printed at Pinerolo.Interestingly, the magazine was distributed through the regular channels to the chief newsagents in the most important provincial centers.
