The US Army toasted an Italian woman with a birthday cake to replace the one that US soldiers ate as they entered her hometown during one of the final battles of the Second World War.
Meri Mion, who turns 90 on Friday, wiped away tears as she was presented with the cake during a ceremony in Vicenza, northwest of Venice.
The event marked the anniversary of the day the 88th Infantry Division fought its way into the city on April 28 1945.
According to the US Army, Ms Mion spent that night with her mother hiding in the attic of their farm in the nearby village of San Pietro in Gu.
Retreating German soldiers had fired on the house, but when Ms Mion awoke on the morning of her 13th birthday, US soldiers were nearby.
In a statement, the US Army Garrison Italy said Ms Mion’s mother baked her a birthday cake and left it on the windowsill to cool.
But it disappeared, apparently taken by hungry US soldiers who had already been feted by grateful Italians with wine and bread as they entered Vicenza along its main thoroughfare.
Ms Mion seemed genuinely surprised that US soldiers had returned the cake 77 years later.
She marvelled “mamma mia” and “grazie” as a small crowd featuring US commanders and Italian officials sang “Happy Birthday”.
“Tomorrow, we will eat that dessert, with all my family remembering this wonderful day that I will never forget,” Ms Mion said, according to the US Army.
