Italian
At the Ernesta Besso Foundation in Rome, journalist Annalisa Mancini, together with Mariù Safier and Giuseppe Petochi, organized a meeting between history, art, and curiosities about the three queens of Italy from the House of Savoy, who reigned from the last quarter of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century: Margherita, Elena, Maria Josè. The occasion was marked by the centenary of the passing of Queen Margherita, who died in 1926. The three queens of the House of Savoy collected precious jewels with which they adorned themselves during official ceremonies, making their public image an “instrumentum regni” that, combined with a vast and articulated activity of charitable works, initiatives for the health of their subjects, and projects for the enhancement of education and culture, effectively supported the work of their august consorts.
Queen Margherita, who married Umberto I of Savoy at just 17 years old, was the first first lady of united Italy. She was much more than a sovereign; she was a true point of reference for the nation. “She was a serious professional on the throne – wrote Indro Montanelli about her – and the Italians felt it. They understood that, even if they did not have a great king, they would have a great queen.”
Cultured, passionate about art, music, and open to innovation, the fascinating queen also benefited from the consecration made by Giosuè Carducci, who, despite being a staunch republican, became her admirer, dedicating to her in 1878 one of his “Odi Barbare” titled “To the Queen of Italy.”
Margherita magnificently interpreted the role of Queen in a newly born Nation, of which she helped to create the identity. She supported its excellences such as art, fashion, and craftsmanship, wearing only made in Italy clothing.
Margherita was the political figure of united Italy who managed to evoke the greatest enthusiasm among Italians, a true icon of taste and style who skillfully managed her image.
She promoted the arts and culture with her Thursday salon at the Quirinale. She supported the Italian automotive industry. She was even a pioneer of female mountaineering.
Very different was Elena, the consort of King Vittorio Emanuele III. Daughter of King Nicola I of Montenegro, a small Balkan state, she was queen of Italy from 1900 to 1946.
Devoted to great works of charity, so much so that she was called the “queen of charity,” she loved the quiet and industrious life of a mother. From her marriage to Vittorio Emanuele III, four daughters and a son Umberto were born, who was the last king of Italy. Elena managed to establish a deep understanding with her husband, creating a stable and lasting union. Music, poetry, medicine, but also cooking, fishing, and photography were Elena’s interests, a vital and intelligent woman who gave the Italian court a touch of simplicity and modesty, dedicating herself with infinite tenderness to the education of her children and, being very sensitive to the suffering of her subjects, was always active in assisting the sick. She is responsible for the creation of the National Institute of Tumors Regina Elena in Rome and the Carlo Besta Neurological Institute in Milan. For her work in public health, in 1941 she was awarded an honorary degree in medicine and surgery, and for her high human and moral qualities, she has been declared a servant of God by the Catholic Church.
Absolutely unconventional and independent was Maria Josè of Belgium, who married Umberto II on January 8, 1930, the so-called “King of May,” because he reigned only from May 9, 1946, to June 18, 1946, when King Vittorio Emanuele III abdicated in his favor.
The marriage of Maria Josè and Umberto II, despite the birth of four children, three daughters and a son Vittorio Emanuele, was not happy. Maria Josè found the ceremonial of the Savoy court too rigid and the environment of the Italian court suffocating, preferring to carve out her own spaces by mingling with intellectuals and friendships different from those of her husband, from whom she gradually distanced herself until she finally separated in 1946, when she moved to Switzerland, where she died in 2001. Three queens, three very different women who expressed royalty according to their personality and their era, reinforcing the value of the female role in the Italian court.
The Rai journalist, Mariù Safier, essayist and expert on the history of the Savoy, who participated in the meeting, recalled the events of the three queens with the help of images. The goldsmith and jewelry historian Giuseppe Petochi, a descendant of one of the most famous families of jewelers active in Rome since 1884, also illustrated, with beautiful slides, some of the jewels he created for Queens Elena and Maria Josè.
