"From my window - glimpses of daily life" Theological " sickle O
waning moon shining on the water deserted
or silver sickle, as made by waving your dreams
mild flare down here! "
(Gabriele D'Annunzio - O waning crescent moon)
With 's article I will share with you the visit I made to " Vittoriale ", the last house where he lived Gabriele D'Annunzio, located in Gardone Riviera.
I will focus on the description of "Priory" by the poet regarded as a true "sanctuary" and "sacred place" consists of a series of rooms such as:
- THE FIRST FLOOR : the vestibule, the mask-Room, the music room, the room of the globe, the Zambracca, the Room of Leda, the Veranda dell'Apollinare the blue bathroom, the room the leper, the Hall of the Via Crucis, Gamma Corridor, the Relic Room, the Room of the lily, the Oratory Dalmatian.
- THE SECOND FLOOR: The Writing of the maimed, the Workshop, the corridor of the labyrinth, the room of the Cheli.
brief description of some of the rooms:
The Vestibule: is the entrance of the house, which is reached after a gilded wrought iron fence, climbing seven steps (the number of virtues and vices). Before getting to the right, a shrine with the Annunciation to invoke the name of the poet, the archangel Gabriel "announces" the birth of Christ. Landing on a stone column, at the base are symbols of passion, with over a basket full of golden pomegranates (a symbol of abundance and prosperity). The column separates two rooms left "The Dalmatian Oratorio" (where the poet was entering guests welcome) and right "The room Mascheraio" (Where the poet was less welcome guests to enter).
The mask-room: as described above was used as a room by the poet 's waiting for the unwelcome guests. An inscription on the mirror is aimed "to visitors. Teco bring the mirror of Narcissus? / This is mask-or leaded glass. / Adjust your mask to your face / but you think you're glass against steel. " The stern warning was apparently directed especially to Mussolini, who visited several times to Vittoriale d'Annunzio. In the room there are shelves containing books that belonged to Heinrich Thode, a gramophone, a radio and some records. Particularly prominent in a Murano glass chandelier in the shape of cornucopia.
The music room is a dimly lit room as the poet had photophobia and the walls are covered with red damask fabric to make the acoustics better. There are grand pianos, musical instruments and objects that recall the mythology (an Eros, a gold and jeweled kouros, Aphrodite, a Hermes, a huntress Diana, a centaur archer, an Apollo Musagete loved by Zeus and Leda) and oriental objects (Buddha and Chinese dragons).
The room Leda: E 'bedroom, is immersed in the dominant colors and gold and illuminated by the light of Veranda dell'Apollinare. The room takes its name from the golden stone (placed in a niche next to animals in silver) a copy of a Hellenistic original depicting the union of Leda and Jupiter, who according to myth, falling in love with the beautiful Greek princess, to possess it turned into a swan . On the wooden ceiling beams are the verses from Dante's Rime.
There are also objects of oriental culture.
The bathroom blue consists of health elegant blue and pink brocade tiles of Verona the floor was not used as a toilet.
D'Annunzio always had great care of his body and he loved the fragrance.
The bathroom is furnished with Oriental carpets, there are shelves and eight hundred and fifty objects in a small space between ceramics, glassware, statuettes, plaster, bronze statues, bowls, cruets, Toiletry, animals and objects of all kinds of cultures and eras.
The room of the leper was conceived by the poet as a place of meditation and future burial chamber: the space more private and full of symbols of the entire house. The room takes its name from the painting above the bed depicting St. Francis embracing the leper D'Annunzio (poet imagined the leper). Beside the bed a wooden statue of St. Sebastian pierced. The panels of gilded stucco ceiling between the symbols of the Passion of Christ, five saints in flight (Santa Sybil Flanders, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Odila d'Alsace, Saint Judith of Poland and St. Catherine of Siena). For foot of the bed there are three steps on which there are placed two leopard skins. The bed wants to call the birth (the crib) and death (coffin). Again, there are references to the oriental culture.
The room of relics was intended to house relics and testimonies of all religions. D'Annunzio was an atheist but deeply attracted by the spirituality and the Franciscan monastery, he was curious and interested in many different religions equally. He was a former music room (makes him understand the window of Santa Cecilia organ) and dining, and contained relics of the River of the First World War. There hangs a Flemish tapestry of biblical subject, in which some figures showing the five fingers of one hand, reads the motto: "Five fingers, five sins" D'Annunzio preclude the possibility of the seven deadly sins, greed and lust.
There are forty-one old wooden statues polychrome saints placed on a high shelf, religious paintings, and two real altars (the "pyramid of idols" full of oriental figurines, and a ciborium century gilded wood covered with religious symbols, shrines eighteenth century).
The Oratory Dalmatian is the waiting room for guests welcome. For the poet's friendship was considered "sacred." There are books, candles, sacred images, sacred objects and objects "profane." The fireplace is inscribed with the phrase from the Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis: "Praised be my Lord for brother fire, for which You alumini the nocte et he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong. "
The Writing of the maimed: lintel of the door of this room is a hand-carved severed and skinned, red with blood, with the motto "quiescit Sever" ("cut rests"). And 'the entrance of the writer of one-handed, study used the correspondence, D'Annunzio decided to obtain a tape recorder to dictate answers tirelessly in writing. The concept is simple, the walls are lined with shelves containing books of Italian literature and French. There are four phrases along the upper frames Leonardo Da Vinci ("lest more things you can, the more sustain," "Let no one house is small it does not face a big beautiful houses," "If you want your home to thee great thought to the grave"; " And who has not covered the sky burial. "
The Cheli's Room: is also known as the Upper Room of the angel (" angel of abstinence "is called Gabriel, who loved to give himself the 'image of a man never vulgar by excessive supply), named after the poet and donated to the turtle died of indigestion after eating, in the beautiful garden of the Priory, too many tuberous. This was a warning to the invitee, not eat too much or you'll end of the turtle.
The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the dominant colors are red, gold, black and blue. D'Annunzio almost never dined in the company of his guests, however, that the board had wanted forever and richly laden, of particular value are the peacocks and silver "plates Franciscans" (mats embossed silver), the group's bronze satyr chasing a nymph. Again, there are references to Eastern culture (the Buddha and the Buddha skinny fat).
This home, in my opinion strange but evocative, reflects the personality of the poet.
Catherine Pezzoni
