Words and the Vittoriale photos Orna O’Reilly Weber
Born in 1863, owner of the Vittoriale Gabriele D’Annunzio was an extraordinary and complicated man with a vivid imagination and a constant thirst for action and adventure. Best known as a prolific and charismatic writer, he had many sides to his colourful career.
Literary work
During his lifetime, D’Annunzio published poetry, short stories, novels and plays, and had his first book of poetry published at the age of sixteen. His work was celebrated across Europe for its originality and melodious style. There was talk of a collaboration with Giacomo Puccini, and Marcel Proust and James Joyce were said to greatly admire him. However, many critics disliked his work, particularly because of its egocentric tone and morbid and decadent themes. D’Annunzio is revered in Italy and some of his works are still taught in school, although his reputation has been somewhat darkened by his association with fascism.
First World War
Having campaigned for Italy to enter the war on the side of the Allies, D’Annunzio volunteered and was hailed as a hero. He loved the excitement of battle, and as a fighter pilot, he had many miraculous escapes, although he lost the sight of one eye in an accident.
In August 1918, he led a squadron of planes on a 1,200-kilometre round trip from Italy to Vienna to drop thousands of leaflets urging the Austrians to surrender.
Fiume
Unhappy at the ending of the war and picturing himself tied to his desk writing verse once more, D’Annunzio became restless. He needed action, and the Croatian city of Fiume, now Rijeka, became the focus for his next adventure. He set out with several thousand soldiers and declared Fiume an independent country with himself as its ruler. He promptly installed himself in an apartment in the royal palace and lived a life of luxury and debauchery, giving daily speeches from the balcony. His justification for this venture was that Fiume had a large Italian population who felt that the city should belong to Italy.
The new state intended to aid oppressed nations such as the Turks and Egyptians. There was even an attempt to provide military assistance to the Irish Republican Army in 1920.
D’Annunzio eventually declared war on Italy but surrendered, after five days of fighting, on 29 December 1920. Having openly defied the Italian government, D’Annunzio was sent to live under virtual house arrest on the shores of Lake Garda.
Visiting the Vittoriale
Le Vittoriale degli Italiani (The Shrine of Italian Victories), a hillside estate located in Gardone on the south-western shore of Lake Garda, was home to D’Annunzio for the last seventeen years of his life. It is perched on a hillside with remarkable views of the lake and mountains and is open to the public, visited by about 180,000 people every year.
The Vittoriale estate is a warren of buildings joined by streets, squares, gardens, lakes and an open-air amphitheatre, all conceived by D’Annunzio and designed by the architect Gian Carlo Maroni.
The Priory
Originally known as Villa Cargnacco, the Priory was an eighteenth-century farmhouse owned by a German family from whom it had been confiscated by the Italian state. D’Annunzio moved in in 1921 and spent the rest of his life transforming it.
The facade is adorned by several coats of arms and two frescoes, uncovered during its early renovation. The poet’s eccentricity is immediately obvious in the dark, gloomy, densely furnished rooms – black lacquer with lots of gilding, bathroom fittings in lapis blue, heavy drapes and stained glass windows that block the light. The rooms are packed with countless busts, velvet chairs, figurines, vases, tapestries, bookshelves crammed in tightly, all items that D’Annunzio collected over many years. Although they seem randomly placed and untidy, he’d apparently spent a great deal of time arranging everything to his satisfaction, and preferred the darkened rooms because he’d lost the sight in one eye.
The Secret D’Annunzio Museum
Opened in 2010, this fascinating museum contains many of D’Annunzio’s personal belongings. They include several well-tailored suits and umpteen pairs of neat little shoes. D’Annunzio was only five feet tall, fastidious in the extreme and a dapper dresser. Among the exhibited outfits are dresses he’d had made for his many lovers. He was renowned for having endless casual affairs, and for attracting angry and jealous long-term lovers, such as the famous actress Eleonora Duse and concert pianist Luisa Baccara.
The amphitheatre
The open-air amphitheatre, where concerts are performed regularly, can accommodate about 1,500 spectators. D’Annunzio did not live to see it in action, as it was only completed in 1952. It has been extensively upgraded since then and is perfectly positioned, with the tiers of seats looking out over the lake.
The Schifamondo
This museum houses the exhibition D’Annunzio the Hero, which displays his death mask and many mementos, including a book of letters by St Catherine of Siena, which he brought with him as a talisman on his famous flight over Vienna in 1918. The little plane in which he flew on this mission now hangs in the auditorium.
Torpedo motorboat
Another souvenir from D’Annunzio’s wartime adventures is housed in a specially designed hangar. It is a MAS 96 torpedo-armed motorboat that he used in a night-time raid. For a while, it was docked at Torre San Marco and used by the poet to ferry guests up and down the lake.
Royal Ship Puglia
One of the most fascinating things to see at the Vittoriale is the battleship Puglia. It is set into the hillside with its prow looking out over the lake and mountains, surrounded by cypress trees. It was transported there on twenty railway carriages and reassembled on site. D’Annunzio loved to fire its cannons on special occasions.
From here, it is an idyllic stroll through little valleys, along walkways and over bridges, taking in the natural plants and flowers, streams and waterfalls along the way.
The mausoleum
On 1st March 1938, D’Annunzio died suddenly of a cerebral haemorrhage at his desk in the Priory. He lay in state on the deck of Puglia while mourners filed past. He was eventually entombed at the top of an austere mausoleum that towers over the entire complex.
D’Annunzio’s sarcophagus is raised on a plinth, surrounded at a lower level by ten other sarcophagi occupied by some of his faithful friends, including the architect Maroni.
Deed of gift
In December 1923, D’Annunzio had announced that his home would be gifted to the Italian people on his death, and in 1925 the Priory was declared a national monument. In 1924 he was given the hereditary title of Prince of Montenevoso by King Victor Emmanuel III.
Mussolini visited D’Annunzio many times during his years at the Priory, having adopted many of his ideas when forming the Nationalist Fascist Party. D’Annunzio, however, was never directly involved.
Staying nearby
Visiting the Vittoriale is a popular activity by visitors to the Lake Garda region, with many waterside towns to base a visit from. Gardone Riviera is the closest to the Vittoriale, with many highly rated hotels to choose from.
- ‘Gabriele D’Annunzio and the Vittoriale’ is published in Anthology Volume 17. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
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