Dictator’s son forged successful career in music
 |
| At his peak, Romano Mussolini played around the world alongside some of jazz's greatest icons |
Although he began his career with the anonymity of an assumed name, in time he became a central figure in Italy's post-war contemporary jazz scene under his true identity.
His peak achievement came in 1963, when his band, the Romano Mussolini All Stars, recorded the album Jazz allo Studio 7, winning the prestigious Italian Critics Award, raising his profile enough to play on tour alongside such jazz icons as Chet Baker, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Yet despite his musical fame, Romano considered painting to be his true creative passion and his expressive, figurative style achieved national and international recognition.
Villa Carpena, the Mussolini family home and today open to the public as a museum, was a beautiful, Liberty-style country house in a pleasant rural setting. Between there and his father’s official residence in Rome, the neoclassical mansion, Villa Torlonia, Romano’s early years were somewhat idyllic.
He studied music as a child, playing classical pieces on the piano and accompanying his father, who played the violin. He first encountered jazz listening to records belonging to his older brother, Vittorio. Largely self-taught as a musician, he began experimenting with playing jazz on the piano in around 1943. He also played accordion and alto saxophone.
Italy’s defeat in World War Two changed everything, of course. Having failed to escape to Switzerland, who rejected an application by his mother, Rachele, for asylum, Romano, his mother and sister, Anna-Maria, hid in a house near Como, where he learned that his father, who had made a separate escape attempt in the company of his mistress Clara Petacci, had been executed by partisans.
Themselves captured by partisans, they were handed over to the British, who moved them to an internment camp near Terni in Umbria. From there they were transferred to Ischia, the island off the coast near Naples, where they remained in state-imposed exile until the Italian government announced an amnesty in 1947.
 |
| Romano Mussolini as a young child, pictured with his father on a beach holiday at Riccione |
In the early 1950s, he returned to the mainland, moving into an apartment on the northern outskirts of Rome. He began to play jazz piano professionally, under the name of Romano Full or Raymond Full.
By 1955, after forming a partnership with a trumpeter, Nunzio Rotondo, he performed for the first time under his real name.
He modelled himself on his idol, the Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson, and his popularity grew, reaching a high point in 1963 when he was becoming a regular at the Santa Tecla club in Milan, which was something of a temple of jazz in the city.
His trio, the Romano Mussolini All Stars, recorded an album, Jazz allo Studio 7 - named after a famous Milan recording studio - that won that year's Italian critics award. The award opened numerous doors, including regular invitations to tour abroad.
The irony is that, had his father’s regime survived, Romano would have probably had to choose a different career. Jazz, with its roots in black culture, was severely restricted by the Fascist government.
Romano Mussolini explored various ways to earn extra money to support his music career, some more successful than others. He attempted to launch himself as a film producer but achieved poor results, making more from writing soundtracks for films. One of his more profitable ventures was a chicken and pig farm he acquired in Romagna.
.jpg "Mussolini (left) pictured on an album sleeve with singer Lilian Terry and trumpeter Nunzio Rotondo") |
| Mussolini (left) pictured on an album sleeve with singer Lilian Terry and trumpeter Nunzio Rotondo |
As he became older, Romano devoted himself more and more to painting. His subjects ranged from landscapes to still life, abstract dreams, beautiful women, clowns, gypsy scenes and the carnivals of Venice. His style has been described as Post-War Italian Figurative Expressionism.
Although there are none on display in the famous galleries, many of his paintings survive in collections around the world, occasionally changing hands at auction.
His musical career continued, including an appearance at the Lake Maggiore Jazz Festival in 2002, although his later years were most notable for writing a book of memoirs under the title, Il Duce, mio padre.
In the book, Romano condemned his father’s part in the deportation to Nazi death camps of some 7,000 Italian Jews, yet his appraisal of the dictator’s political career was largely sympathetic.
He died in Rome from heart problems in February, 2006 and was buried in the family crypt in the cemetery of San Cassiano in Predappio, the town south of Forlì where both his parents were born.
 |
| The Villa Carpena, where Romano Mussolini grew up, is now open to the public |
The Villa Carpena museum, located about 10km (6 miles) southeast of Forlì, is the historic former country residence of Benito Mussolini and his family. Known officially as the Casa dei ricordi di Mussolini (The House of Memories of Mussolini), the estate was the family home from 1924 onwards. His widow, Rachele, lived there long after his death. It eventually became neglected but in 2001 was bought by an Italian businessman from the Mussolini estate and painstakingly restored, before being opened to the public as the first private museum dedicated to the dictator's personal life. Visitors today can explore the largely unchanged rooms, which are filled with original family belongings, furniture, and private photographs. Key highlights include Mussolini’s study, his uniform, personal letters, and the cradle of his children. The surrounding grounds feature a large garden, a vineyard, and the remains of a defensive bunker built during World War II.
Find accommodation in Forlì with Expedia
 |
| The Maronti Beach in Ischia is one of the many beautiful beaches for which Ischia is noted |
Ischia is a beautiful volcanic island notable for its many beautiful beaches located in the Tyrrhenian Sea at the northern tip of the Gulf of Naples. It has an area of some 47 square kilometres, rising to a height of 789 m (2,589 ft) at the peak of Monte Epomeo. The vineyards surrounding Monte Epomeo produce excellent wine that is served in the island’s restaurants. The hot mineral springs on the island have been used since Roman times as a cure for ailments and are still recommended for people suffering from rheumatism and arthritis today. An entire circuit of the island’s 34km (21 miles) of coastline on one of the local buses will take about two and a half hours. Ischia is also the name of the island’s main town, the other municipalities being Barano d'Ischia, Casamicciola Terme, Forio, Lacco Ameno and Serrara Fontana. Notable sights include the Aragonese Castle (Castello Aragonese), which was built on a rock near the island in 474 BC, by Hiero I of Syracuse. Nowadays, it is connected to the town of Ischia by a stone causeway. The island, which has a population of around 62,000, is accessible by hydrofoil and car ferries from Naples and Sorrento. Typical journey times are 50-60 minutes by hydrofoil from either starting point, with the ferry from Naples taking about one hour and a half.
Stay on Ischia with Hotels.com
More reading:
Rachele Mussolini, the dictator’s long-suffering wife
How Mussolini and his mistress were captured and killed
The controversial career of Alessandra Mussolini
Also on this day:
1927: The birth of World Cup-winning football coach Enzo Bearzot
1973: The death of Oscar-winning actress Anna Magnani
1997: Earthquake damages Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi