1948 Peter and Zeppa took their three children back to Italy, partly to check on friends and family who had remained there during the war years but also so Peter could undertake further research for what was becoming his labour of love, the mosaic on the floor of the St Mary’s crypt.

“When we went to Italy in 1948, he had  finished the work around the altar and he was very pleased with it. It was just then that the seed of the idea of doing the rest of the crypt came to him. He would take us on these drives and we drove all around Italy to see paintings and mosaics — he was always looking for ideas he could use on the crypt floor or the crypt wall. I took all the pictures that he wanted. He got much of his inspiration from the Sienna  Cathedral — its floor is done in a  similar way but it’s not as colourful. He would talk about it. When he started off, he hadn’t a  clue what to do but ideas came one by one. He planned most of the floor on that trip and he wrote his ideas on little note pages in pencil. I still have some.” — John Melocco

“When we came back home in 1948, we brought a dozen people back. Things were crook in Italy after the war so Dad found them jobs and advanced them the money for their fares.” — John Melocco