In August 1944, while the renowned physicist Albert Einstein was living in comfort and safety in his adopted America, his first cousin Robert was hiding out in the woods in Nazi-occupied Italy. As a Jew and therefore a wanted man, Robert had agreed with his Italian wife, Nina, and their adult daughters, Luce and Cici, that his best means of evading capture was to leave their Tuscan villa, Il Forcado, and lie low in the surrounding countryside. The women would have no real cause for alarm if German troops came knocking. They were Christian and not on any hit list, and if asked where Robert was, they would simply say he was away. With news reports saying American and British ground forces were only 20 miles south of nearby Florence, the family was daring to believe their luck was changing: surely now the Germans were less likely to pay a visit and beat a retreat.