The day the city was draped in black
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| Tancredi Scarpelli's depiction of the scene following the executions |
The executions, thought to have taken place in one of the main squares in the centre of the city, possibly Piazza del Popolo, were carried out by the notorious papal executioner, Giovanni Battista Bugatti, who was nicknamed Mastro Titta, a slang version of maestro di giustizia, master of justice.
The four victims were found guilty of plotting to kidnap and assassinate Cardinal Agostino Rivarola, who had been sent to Ravenna to defend papal authority and clamp down on revolutionaries.
Bugatti was the official executioner for the Papal States from 1796 to 1865. While working for six different popes, he executed 516 people by either beating, beheading or hanging them.
On this occasion in Ravenna, acting on behalf of the Papal Legate, he conducted the executions of Luigi Zanoli, Ortolani Angiolo, Gaetano Montanari, and Gaetano Rambelli.
The four unfortunate men were all believed to be members of the anticlerical Carbonari society.
The Vatican’s enforcer in the Romagna, Cardinal Rivarola, had issued mass condemnations against I Carbonari, and as a result, in 1826, shots had been fired at his carriage and a member of his entourage had died, although Rivarola had escaped unhurt.
Following an investigation into the incident ordered by Pope Leo XII, the death penalty had been dealt out to the four people accused of carrying out the shooting.
On the day of the execution, the square where it took place was completely occupied by the military to prevent anyone from getting near the gallows.
All shops, and the windows and doors of houses were closed, and many of them were draped in black. The streets were completely empty, reflecting the mood of the population, as the wagon containing the prisoners made its way through the deserted city surrounded by soldiers.
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| Agostino Rivarola, the cardinal who survived an attempted assassination |
The Carbonari was an informal network of secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. They were a focus for people who were unhappy with the repressive political situation in Italy. The secret societies played their part in the process leading to the Risorgimento and eventually to Italian unification.
They adopted the name 'Carbonari' because they used the charcoal-burning trade in the forested, mountainous regions of the Apennines, where the group originated, as cover for their clandestine meetings.
The English poet Lord Byron lived for two of the six years he spent in Italy in Ravenna, to be near Teresa Guiccioli, the young, beautiful wife of Count Alessandro Guiccioli, who he had been introduced to at a social gathering in Venice. During his time in Ravenna, he enjoyed the excitement of being part of I Carbonari, after being introduced to the society by Teresa’s father, Ruggiero Gamba, and her brother, Pietro Gamba.
Byron relished the secret meetings in pine forests outside Ravenna and even allowed members of the group to hide weapons and ammunition in his apartment. If Byron had been found to be housing the weapons, he would have been arrested and almost certainly imprisoned, or expelled from Austrian-controlled territory, but his fellow Carbonari believed he was less likely to be condemned to death because he was an English Lord.
The poet believed in the cause of fighting for a free Italy, but he left Ravenna to follow Teresa and her father and brother, after they had been exiled to Florence, without ever having the chance to take part in a revolt against the Austrians.
Giovanni Battista Bugatti had become the official executioner of the Papal States at the age of 17 and served the popes Pius VI, Pius VII, Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI and Pius IX. Charles Dickens wrote about Bugatti in Pictures of Italy, after watching one of his executions in 1845.
When Bugatti retired from his work, he was given a residence and a pension by the Pope and he wrote his memoirs. He died in 1869 in Senigallia in Le Marche, the town where he had been born. A book claiming to be his memoirs was published in 1891. The memoirs devoted an entire chapter to the execution of Leonida Montanari in Ravenna in 1825, who was the brother of Gaetano Montanari, one of the four men executed in Ravenna on 13 May 1828.
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| The Basilica di Sant Vitale is famous for its stunning mosaics |
Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna, was the capital city of the western Roman empire in the fifth century. It is known for its well-preserved late Roman and Byzantine architecture and has eight UNESCO world heritage sites. The Basilica of San Vitale is one of the most important examples of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture in Europe. Ravenna also houses the tomb of the poet Dante Alighieri, who lived and died there after he was exiled from Florence. Byron was said to have found the tomb of the poet inspirational and would sit writing his poetry close to it while he was living in the city. Florence has repeatedly asked for Dante’s remains to be sent back to them, but Ravenna has always refused to relinquish them. Ravenna’s cuisine reflects Romagna’s rustic traditions. Signature dishes include piadina, the region’s soft flatbread, cappelletti in broth or ragù, and passatelli, made from breadcrumbs, cheese, and nutmeg. Local grills feature castrato (mutton), which is highly prized in the region for its bright red colour, white fat, and intense flavour. Mussels from Marina di Ravenna feature on menus as well.
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| Piazza del Popolo was the site of Ravenna's public executions |
Piazza del Popolo, where public executions took place, is at the heart of the city of Ravenna and for more than 700 years has been home to the palaces of power, such as the town hall and the prefecture building, which was once home to the Papal Legation. Now a lively square with open-air cafés and bars, it is the convergence point of many streets. It has a Venetian feel because Venice added twin columns similar to the pair in Piazzetta San Marco during the period they ruled over Ravenna. The Venetian authorities governed the city from the Palazzetta Veneziana between 1441 and 1509. The origin of the square dates back to the late 13th century, when the Da Polenta family became masters of the city. The palatial residence of Bernardino da Polenta became the political hub of the city and remained so until it was demolished in 1681, when it was replaced by the current Town Hall.
More reading:
How Lord Byron became a Ravenna revolutionary
Gabriele Rossetti, the poet and academic who became a key Carbonari figure
The strange life of Mastro Titta, souvenir seller and executioner
Also on this day:
1726: The death of composer and singer Francesco Pistocchi
1804: The birth of Venetian patriot Daniele Manin
1935: The birth of entrepreneur Luciano Benetton
1938: The birth of politician Giuliano Amato
.jpg "President Sergio Matarella leads part of the ceremony in Rome in 2018")
