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Searching For Bernini

~ Musings on the Ecstasy of Italian Art and Culture

Searching For Bernini

Tag Archives: Politics of Italy

Book Review: Mistress of the Vatican

24 Saturday Oct 2015

Posted by SearchingForBernini in Art History, Bernini, Book Reviews, Books, History, Italian History, Politics, Rome, Uncategorized, women

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Baroque, Bernini, Borromini, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Hillary Clinton, Italy, Olimpia Pamphili, Politics of Italy, Rome

Mistress Cover

Dedicated to all the women who refuse to be locked up.

I wrote about Olimpia Pamphili in a previous post and she so fascinated me that I recently read a 2008 biography of her, Mistress of the Vatican…The Secret Female Pope, by Eleanor Herman. The book begins with this irresistible (to me) dedication.

It’s a perfect opening for this engaging and entertaining book since Herman returns again and again to the theme that ran through Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphili’s life, and which was a complicated reality for many women in Renaissance and Baroque Rome: the threat of being shut away in a convent, often because the women’s families couldn’t—or wouldn’t—pay for a dowry that would allow them to marry and perhaps gain some semblance of independence, or at least be allowed to leave the house. Once a woman (or girl) entered a convent, fuhgeddaboudit! She spent her life locked up.

Olimpia as an older woman after the death of her second husband.

Olimpia as an older woman after the death of her second husband.

But the dedication would hold special significance for Olimpia, who not only refused to be put away in a convent, but also defied those who would lock her into behaving in ways expected of the respectable daughter of a tax assessor in Viterbo, Italy, or, later, as a phenomenally rich widow and then a wife of a nobleman. In fact, Olimpia became the power behind Pope Innocent X, a man she may have loved but definitely fought for, and nearly single-handedly got elected to the papacy.

Herman describes Olimpia as “a baroque rock star,” and if we compare her to some women today, she might easily line up with our (perhaps) future president, Hillary Clinton.

Hillary debating Bernie Sanders at the Democratic presidential debate, October 12, 2015.

Hillary debating Bernie Sanders at the Democratic presidential debate, October 12, 2015.

Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi

Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi

In fact, to use a technique Herman relies on often to bring Olimpia to life in her book, we might imagine Olimpia, staring with awe, pride, and not a little envy at Hilary, as she recently vanquished her male opponents on stage in the first Democratic debate. Had she lived today, there’s no question that Olimpia herself would have run for Prime Minister of Italy, and Matteo Renzi wouldn’t have stood a chance against her.

But in 17th-century Rome, such ambitions were beyond the scope. Herman describes the age in all its gritty debauchery as “a time when dead pontiffs were left naked on the Vatican floor because their servants had pilfered the bed and swiped the clothes off the corpse.” It was Dickensian long before Charles Dickens was born.

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Fantasy Italian Dinner Party: Part 2—Anita Garibaldi

07 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by SearchingForBernini in Art History, History, Italian History, Italian Life, Politics, Sicily, travel

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Anita Garibaldi, Brazil, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italy, Politics of Italy, Rome, Travel

My first fantasy dinner guest—the imposing Olimpia Pamphilj—would no doubt be a fascinating, if intimidating, presence at the table, as I wrote in my earlier post. Imagining her questioning my second guest about her adventures, over pasta con sarde (sardines, a Sicilian fave) and a bottle of vino, makes me giddy.

Anita Garibaldi wasn’t Italian, but she married an Italian hero and fought bravely for her adopted country’s independence. I met her on the Gianicolo hill, overlooking Rome, where I’d taken a walking tour with the conversation exchange group, Friends In Rome. A daring adventuress, she’s revered as an Italian hero in her own right. Her dinner conversation would be gripping, filled with stories of war…and love.

Anita Garibaldi, circa 1839

Anita de Jesus Ribeiro, circa 1845 (painting by Gaetano Gallino)

Ana Maria de Jesus Ribeiro di Garibaldi, a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty, was born in 1821, in the southern Brazilian town of Laguna, to a poor family of herdsmen and fishermen. Anita’s family arranged for her to marry at only 14 years old, but her new husband soon abandoned her to join the Imperial army.

The dashing sailor Garibaldi

The dashing sailor Garibaldi

Not long after, a dashing 30-year-old Italian sailor-turned- revolutionary, Giuseppe Garibaldi, showed up in her world, changing it forever.

Exiled from Italy in 1836 (along with several other Sicilian revolutionaries I wrote about in my Sobbing Women entry), Garibaldi proved to be a real military man. A restless fighter in search of a war, he joined a group of rebels struggling to preserve a separatist republic in Brazil. When he met the 16-year-old Anita, he reportedly told her, “You must be mine.” It didn’t take long for her to agree.

A skilled horsewoman, Anita joined Giuseppe in his revolutionary battles in Brazil. During a battle in Mostardas, as they fought for the independence of Rio Grande do sul Republic, Garibaldi was away from camp when they were attacked. Anita escaped by jumping on a horse—while carrying her first baby, born just a few days earlier; the couple would have three more—and galloping away. This memorial on the Gianicolo hill in Rome, created by sculptor Mario Rutelli, captures that moment:

Anita, on horseback, carrying her baby and brandishing a gun

Anita, on horseback, carrying her baby and brandishing a gun

At other points in her daring life, she even led some of Garibaldi’s troops out of danger, as depicted here…

Anita leading Garibaldi's troops away from danger

Anita leading Garibaldi’s troops away from danger

One of Garibaldi’s comrades described her as having “the strength and courage of a man and the charm and tenderness of a woman,” along with “extraordinary eyes,” so it was no mystery why Garibaldi fell so passionately in love with her.

She went with him to Montevideo, Uruguay, where they married.

Montevideo, Uruguay today

Montevideo, Uruguay today

Garibaldi took command of the Uruguayan fleet in 1842, raising an Italian legion to help Uruguay defend itself against the encroaching Argentine dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas. By all reports, Anita fought alongside her husband in several battles, brandishing her sword with “daring and vigor.”

In 1848, Anita and Giuseppe returned to Italy, where a new revolution was stirring, and a year later they fought for an independent, united Italy against French forces. But here’s where it becomes tragic.

The war turned in favor of the French and their troops pushed Garibaldi into the hills of Lazio outside of Rome. At this same time, Anita suffered a bout of malaria—fairly common, and deadly, at that time. On the run, without adequate food and rest in the summer heat, and pregnant with their fifth child, Anita was fading fast.

Garibaldi carrying his dying Anita through the swamps of Comacchio (oil on canvas), Bauvier, Pietro (1839-1927) / Museo del Risorgimento, Brescia, Italy / The Bridgeman Art Library

Garibaldi carrying his dying Anita through the swamps of Comacchio (oil on canvas), Bauvier, Pietro (1839-1927) / Museo del Risorgimento, Brescia, Italy / The Bridgeman Art Library

Garibaldi must have been desperately worried as he carried her in his arms to a farm near Ravenna—a romantic scene captured in many paintings like the one above. With the French close on their heels, they’d finally found a doctor, but Anita was so weak from the malaria that it was too late, and she died with Giuseppe by her side on August 4, 1849.

Garibaldi, who saw his dream of a united Italy come true, seems to never have forgotten his lost love. In 1860, when he rode out to hail Victor Emanuel II as king of the new republic, he wore Anita’s scarf over his South American poncho.

She’s surely a woman worth inviting to dinner—and remembering.

Anita_Garibaldi_Photo_BW

Anita

Ciao!

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What a Mess! Understanding Italian Politics (Or Trying To)

20 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by SearchingForBernini in Politics, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Barack Obama, Beppe Grillo, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Giorgio Napolitano, Hillary Clinton, Italy, jorge mario bergoglio, la repubblica, Pier Luigi Bersani, politics, Politics of Italy, President of Italy, Rome, Silvio Berlusconi, United States

La Repubblica Website April 20, 2013

La Repubblica Website April 20, 2013

Bernini would probably shrug and say, “Eh? Che ci voi fare?”

Just before I arrived in Italy earlier this month, the country held an election that ended in chaos. From what I understand (and it’s no simple task to comprehend the machinations of Italian politics), no candidate or party received enough votes to win the majority, and so Italy hasn’t had a functional government for two months. (Yes, it took only two days to elect Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pope, but a new head of state is another matter.)

 Beppe Grillo on the tribune of the Five Star Movement at Piazza Dante in Trento during the collection of signatures for the presentation of the lists for the political elections in 2013. (by Niccolò Caranti)

Beppe Grillo on the tribune of the Five Star Movement at Piazza Dante in Trento during the collection of signatures for the presentation of the lists for the political elections in 2013. (Photo by Niccolò Caranti)

I’m not going to pretend to be any kind of expert on this, so please forgive any errors, but here’s my attempt to figure out what the heck is going on.

An “Occupy Wall Street”–like anti-establishment group, the Five Star Movement, headed by comedian/actor Beppe Grillo, won a quarter of the votes in the election, and super-sleazemeister Silvio Berlusconi, incredibly, is still oozing and schmoozing around with his center-right coalition (called the People of Freedom…seriously).

Berlusconi (© Presidenza della Repubblica)

Berlusconi (© Presidenza della Repubblica)

This week, 1,007 electors in Parliament voted to pick a president, which apparently, in Italy, is kind of a ceremonial position. The real power of the government rests with the prime minister (most recently Pier Luigi Bersani, who resigned, so as of now there is none). The governmental process here is going just about as smoothly as the recent U.S. Senate non-vote on stricter background checks for gun buyers.

Obama and Napolitano

Obama and Napolitano

Today, on April 20, the vote stumbled through its third day; a number of candidates had withdrawn; some lawmakers had declined to vote or said they’d cast empty ballots in protest; and more than 100 lawmakers from the center-left refused to recognize their own candidate. The newspapers here said the country is “suspended in a void.” Ma aspetti! (But wait!) As I’m writing this, (almost 88-year-old) Italian president Giorgio Napolitano agreed to run again: Once more unto the breach! And he got elected. But what does that mean? (He was named a Life Senator in 2005, so, maybe now he’s a Life President.) Um….

During all of this, I’ve had several charged political conversations (or attempts at conversation, in Italiano) with my language teacher, Eva, at I Love IT school in Orvieto. She tried to give me some insight into Italian politics through the years after she pulled out magazine pictures of Berlusconi and Barack Obama for us to discuss as a speaking exercise.

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speak together sitting at a picnic table April 9, 2009, on the South Lawn of the White House. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speak together sitting at a picnic table April 9, 2009, on the South Lawn of the White House. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

I stated that while it’s great that America elected an African-American president, I hoped that Hillary Clinton would decide to run in 2016. I told Eva I wasn’t surprised that we, in America, elected a black man before we elected a woman president—after all, black men got the vote in 1869, long before women—of any color—did in 1920. And I sincerely hope it won’t be 50 years before we elect a woman president.

Suffragists at the 1920 Republican convention.

American suffragists at the 1920 Republican convention.

Eva pointed out that Italian women couldn’t vote until 1946, when the end of World War II prompted the decision by the interim government (after the fall of Mussolini and Fascism) to hold a nationwide vote (introducing universal suffrage for the first time). Mussolini_wine

Italian provinces were united in 31 constituencies, each electing a group of candidates. Along with the election, voters were asked to decide if they wanted the country to become a true republic, or if they favored the return of a monarchy and Umberto II of Savoy, the last king of Italy.

Hanging chads in Florida during the presidential "election" 2000.

Hanging chads in Florida during the presidential “election” 2000.

Northern Italy voted for a republic. Southern Italy voted for a monarchy. According to Eva, the Republic won the referendum because votes from Sicily (aka the home of the Mafia), which would have tipped the decision over to the monarchists, mysteriously didn’t make it to Rome in time to be counted. (Hanging chads, anyone?)

At any rate, Italy became a democracy with elections held, er…every so often. Technically, members of parliament serve a maximum of five years. But a president (or maybe a prime minister?) can dissolve parliament and hold new elections if he chooses. Capisci? I don’t!

But ever since the February election ended essentially in a draw, the lawmakers have been haggling over whom to elect as president. Now that Napolitano has stepped up, who will be prime minister? And who’s really calling the shots? Uh….

Italian bread

Italian bread

Of course, things weren’t any better in Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s day, when the Popes ruled like royalty and the church’s power kept the people dependent on them, even for loaves daily bread. Voting by the people? Fuhgeddaboudit!

So, what did I discover during my search to understand Italian politics? In a week during which I read numerous articles and Facebook posts about the mess in Washington, D.C.—about how the U.S. Congress remains clutched in the grip of the NRA and won’t choose the sane path regarding stricter gun control (and that’s only the latest in a painfully long list of non-action and partisan rifts)—I learned, as someone who is trying on a new country for size, that there is a place like home. Governmental dysfunction seems to be universal.

As Tony Soprano—or Bernini—might have said, “Che ci voi fare?” (What are you gonna do?) Ciao!

Tony Soprano

Tony Soprano

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