Elena of Montenegro

Loving mother of five looked every inch a Queen

The Queen and King in 1901,
about a year into their reign

A young princess from the Balkans became the Queen of Italy on this day in 1900 while she was enjoying a Mediterranean cruise. Elena of Montenegro and her husband, who became Victor Emmanuel III, had to land at the port of Reggio Calabria after learning that King Umberto I of Italy had been shot dead.

Elena was to carry out her duties as the Queen of Italy for 46 years, until her husband abdicated in favour of his son, who became King Umberto II of Italy in May 1946.

She was the daughter of King Nicholas I and Queen Milena of the Principality of Montenegro. Brought up to speak French, Elena was educated in Saint Petersburg in Russia until the age of 18.

When Victor Emmanuel’s mother, Queen Margherita, was looking for a suitable bride for her only son, she was encouraged to consider Elena by Francesco Crispi, the Italian Prime Minister, who was of Albanian descent and keen for Italy to have more influence in the Balkans.

In 1895, Elena attended the International Art Exhibition in Venice, where she was presented to the King and Queen of Italy. Later, at the opera, she was presented to Prince Victor Emmanuel.

They met again in Russia at the coronation of Tsar Nicholas I, and after Victor Emmanuel had made an official request to Elena’s father, he visited Cetinje, the capital of Montenegro, where they became engaged in 1896.

Elena arrived in Italy in October 1896, landing in Bari, where she converted to Catholicism at the Basilica of St Nicholas. The couple were later married in Rome.

In addition to becoming Queen of Italy in 1900, Elena assumed the titles of Queen of Albania and Empress of Ethiopia after Mussolini’s occupation of the two countries.

She was described as stately and tall with black hair and olive skin and looking very much like a Queen. She became popular with the Italians after the Messina earthquake in 1908, when she visited the area and helped with the rescue effort. She arranged for the wounded to be taken to a hospital ship and personally assisted with their care.  She also organised a fund-raising event in Rome to help victims.

A painting of Elena as a young
princess, aged about 15 

She gave birth to five children and was described as a loving mother, who enjoyed simple family life.

During World War I, Elena worked as a nurse and turned the Quirinale and Villa Margherita into hospitals. She studied medicine and obtained an honorary degree.

To raise funds, she invented the signed photograph, to be sold at charity desks. At the end of the war, she suggested selling the crown treasures to pay the war debts. 

In 1920, she founded the Elena di Savoia Foundation to provide scholarships for the orphaned children of former railway workers or soldiers. She suggested that every woman in Italy donated some of their jewellery to the children whose fathers had been sacrificed for the nation, and she launched the initiative by donating some of her own.

In 1937 Pope Pius XI gave Elena the Golden Rose, the most important honour given to a Catholic lady at the time. Pope Pius XII, in a condolence telegram sent to her son, Umberto II, after her death, defined her as a ‘Lady of Charitable Work’.

In 1943, after Victor Emmanuel III had the Fascist dictator Mussolini arrested, he fled to Brindisi with the help of the Allies and Elena followed her husband. 

Queen Elena depicted in a
nurse's uniform in WW1

Tragically, one of their daughters, Mafalda, was arrested by the Nazis and sent to Buchenwald concentration camp, where she died in 1944.

After the republic of Italy was proclaimed, Victor Emmanuel and Elena were forced to live the rest of their lives in exile. They went to Egypt, where Victor Emmanuel died after a year, and eventually Elena went to live in France. While living there she was diagnosed with a severe type of cancer and she died in 1952 during surgery to treat it. 

In 2017, the remains of Elena were repatriated from Montpellier in France, to the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, in Piedmont. The remains of Victor Emmanuel III were transferred two days later from Alexandria, and interred alongside hers.

In 2001, on the occasion of the opening of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the death of Queen Elena, the Bishop of Montpellier opened the diocesan process for her beatification and she was awarded the title Servant of God.

The cylindrical towers of Reggio Calabria's
Castello Aragonese survived the earthquake

Travel tip:

Reggio Calabria, where Elena stepped ashore as Queen of Italy, is the oldest city in Calabria, the most important in what became known as Magna Graecia - Great Greece - after settlers began to arrive in the eighth century BC.  Situated at the tip of the toe of Italy’s ‘boot’, its position between the Strait of Messina and the Aspromonte mountains give it one of the most striking coastal panoramas in southern Italy. Its Lungomare Falcomatà promenade, lined with magnolia trees and palms, has been described as “the most beautiful kilometre of Italy,” offering views of Mount Etna and the Aeolian Islands.  Much of its heritage was destroyed in the earthquake of 1908 and the rebuilt city is notable now for its fine Liberty buildings and its linear plan.  The best of what could be salvaged of the Greek remains can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum of Magna Graecia, housed in Palazzo Piacentini. The Castello Aragonese is the most important surviving fortification in Reggio Calabria. Dating back to far earlier than its Aragonese name suggests, today only its two massive cylindrical towers remain, rising above Piazza Castello in the historic centre and serving as one of the city’s defining symbols.

Check Expedia for places to stay in Reggio Calabria

The frescoed elliptical cupola
of the Santuario di Vicoforte

Travel tip:

The Sanctuary of Vicoforte - Santuario di Vicoforte - is one of Piedmont’s more extraordinary religious monuments. It stands about 85km (51 miles) south of Turin, just outside Mondovì, in the province of Cuneo, surrounded by hills and chestnut woods. Since 2017, it has also become a place of quiet royal significance: the burial site of King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena of Montenegro, whose remains were transferred there from Egypt and Montpellier.  The sanctuary is famous for its elliptical cupola, the largest of its kind in the world, rising to a height of 60m (197ft). This daring shape creates a dramatic interior space, where frescoes sweep across the vault. The sanctuary is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.  Construction began in 1596 after Duke Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy ordered a grand sanctuary to be built. The original Baroque structure was expanded in the 17th century under the House of Savoy, with the dome completed in 1744. The monumental façade was added in the 19th century. Although the remains of Victor Emmanuel III and Elena were transferred there, Vicoforte did not serve as a principal Savoy burial site - that role belonged to the Basilica of Superga near Turin.

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More reading:

The abdication of Victor Emmanuel III 

Victor Emmanuel III dies in exile

Umberto II - the last King of Italy

Also on this day:

1644: The death of Pope Urban VIII

1883: The birth of Benito Mussolini

1887: The death of politician Agostino Depretis

1900: The birth of activist and partisan Teresa Noce

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28 July

Vittorio Valletta - industrialist

Agnelli lieutenant who turned Fiat into an auto giant

The industrialist Vittorio Valletta, whose diplomatic and deal-making skills helped him turn Fiat into the beacon of Italy’s postwar recovery, was born on this day in 1883 in Sampierdarena, a port suburb of Genoa famous for shipbuilding.  He joined Fiat in 1921, quickly rising to the top and became effectively the right-hand man to founder and president Giovanni Agnelli, as CEO practically steering the company single-handed through the turmoil of the Second World War.  After Agnelli’s death in 1945 he became president and remained in control of the company until 1966, when he finally handed over to Gianni Agnelli, the founder’s grandson, at the age of 83. Under his leadership, Fiat grew to such a position of dominance in postwar Italy that at one stage 80 per cent of cars bought in Italy were made by Fiat. The company’s factories employed almost 100,000 people.  Read more…

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Ischia earthquake

The day calamity and chaos came to Casamicciola

Around 3,000 people may have been killed and many more injured on this day in 1883 after a devastating earthquake shook the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples.  Although the earthquake was officially classified as moderate, it caused extreme ground shaking, which led to the collapse of about 80 per cent of the buildings in the comune of Casamicciola Terme, a resort on the northern side of the island.  Most of the houses, hotels, and churches in the town collapsed. There were more than 1,700 fatalities in Casamicciola alone.  The philosopher Benedetto Croce was on holiday on the island at the time and both his parents and his only sister were killed in the earthquake. He was trapped under the rubble for two nights until he was able to be rescued, and it was discovered that he had a broken leg and arm.  Read more… 

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Luigi Musso - racing driver

Wealthy Roman who found expectations hard to bear

Luigi Musso, who for a period of his life was Italy’s top racing driver, was born on this day in 1924 in Rome.  Musso competed six times for the world drivers’ championship, three times for Maserati and three times for Ferrari. He finished third in the 1957 season, driving for Ferrari.  His solitary Formula One Grand Prix victory came in 1956 in Argentina, although he had to content himself with a half-share of the points after being forced to hand over his car to Juan Fangio, the local hero and Ferrari team leader, after 29 of the 98 laps, when Fangio’s car failed.  Sadly, two years later he was killed in an accident at the French Grand Prix in Reims, which his girlfriend, Fiamma Breschi, blamed on the ferocity of his rivalry with his fellow Ferrari drivers Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins.  Born into a wealthy Roman family – his father was a diplomat – Musso grew up in a luxurious palazzo off the Via Veneto. Read more…

Riccardo Muti - conductor

Celebrated maestro of the baton

The brilliant conductor and musical director Riccardo Muti was born on this day in 1941 in Naples.  Until 2023, Muti was conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and is still the director of the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra, a training ensemble for talent from Italian and other European music schools, based in Ravenna and Piacenza, which he founded in 2005.  Previously, Muti held posts at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Salzburg Whitsun Festival.  He was named principal conductor and music director for the Maggio Musicale when he was only 28 and stayed there 12 years.  He was at La Scala for 19 years from 1986 to 2005, his tenure ending amid rancour following a conflict with the theatre's general manager, Carlo Fontana.  Read more…

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San Marino’s liberation from Fascism

The day the people demonstrated against their government

San Marino residents celebrate the anniversary of their liberation from Fascism on this day every year.  The Sammarinese Fascist Party had been founded in 1922 by Giuliano Gozi, a veteran of the First World War who came from a rich and powerful family.  The party was modelled on the Fascist party of Italy and used violence and intimidation against its opponents.  Gozi took the roles of both foreign minister and interior minister, which gave him control over the military and the police. He continued to serve as foreign minister, leading the cabinet, until 1943.  In 1923 Gozi was elected as San Marino’s Captain Regent. The Fascists retained this post for 20 years as they banned all other political parties, although some independent politicians continued to serve in the Grand and General Council of the Republic.  Read more...

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Book of the Day: Fiat: The Rise, Legacy, and Future of Italy's Iconic Automaker, by Etienne Psaila

Fiat: The Rise, Legacy, and Future of Italy's Iconic Automaker offers an in-depth look into one of the automotive world's most storied companies. From its beginnings as a small Italian manufacturer in 1899 to its global expansion and role in shaping modern mobility, this book chronicles Fiat’s journey with a focus on its innovations, challenges, and contributions to the global automotive industry.  Through detailed chapters, readers will explore the strategic decisions, cultural influences, and technological advancements that made Fiat a leader in car production. This includes the company's role in post-war recovery, its iconic models like the Fiat 500, and the significant mergers and partnerships that defined its path to global recognition. The book delves into the company's commitment to sustainability, its influence on automotive design, and its essential place in both the Italian economy and the world automotive ecosystem.  In addition to historical events and technical achievements, the book examines how Fiat's cars, from the Fiat 500 to the Fiat Panda, became symbols of Italian culture, design, and ingenuity. As Fiat embraces the future with electric and autonomous vehicles, its legacy continues to shape the automotive landscape, influencing generations of engineers, designers, and consumers worldwide.

Etienne Psaila was educated at the University of Malta and has been writing for more than 25 years, publishing at an average of four titles per year, while also working as an educator. He has written about many subjects but specialises in automotive and motorcycle books. 

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27 July

Mario Del Monaco - tenor

Singer became famous for his interpretations of Otello

Opera singer Mario Del Monaco, who was renowned for the amazing power of his voice, was born on this day in 1915 in Florence.  His family were musical and as a child he studied the violin but he developed a passion for singing as well.  He studied at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro, where he first met and sang with the soprano Renata Tebaldi, who was to partner him regularly later in his career.  Del Monaco made a big impact with his debut performance as Lieutenant Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in Milan in 1940.  He became popular with the audience at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in the 1950s, making many appearances in dramatic Verdi roles.  He was one of the four Italian tenors at their peak in the 1950s and 1960s, sharing the limelight with Giuseppe Di Stefano, Carlo Bergonzi and Franco Corelli.   Read more…

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Adolfo Celi – actor and director

Successful career of a Sicilian who was typecast as a baddy

An actor who specialised in playing the role of the villain in films, Adolfo Celi was born on this day in 1922 in Curcuraci, in the province of Messina in Sicily.  Celi was already prominent in Italian cinema, but became internationally famous for his portrayal of Emilio Largo, James Bond’s adversary with the eye patch, in the 1965 film Thunderball.  He made his film debut after World War Two in A Yank in Rome (Un americano in vacanza), in 1946.  In the 1950s he moved to Brazil, where he co-founded the Teatro Brasiliero de Comedia.  He was successful as a stage actor in Brazil and Argentina. Celi’s big break came when he played the villain in Philippe de Broca’s That Man from Rio. He was cast as the camp commandant in the escape drama, Von Ryan’s Express, in which Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard played prisoners of war.  Read more…

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Mauro Giuliani – virtuoso guitarist

Maestro who perfected his technique so that his instrument seemed to sing

Leading 19th century guitarist and composer Mauro Giuliani was born on this day in 1781 in Bisceglie, a small town on the Adriatic coast near Bari in Puglia.  Growing up to become an accomplished cellist, singer and composer, Giuliani toured Europe playing in concerts and he became a musical celebrity while he was living in Vienna. He was  invited to play in chamber concerts in the botanical gardens of Schönbrunn Palace - the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers - with other top musicians.  Giuliani moved to live in Barletta, also on the Adriatic coast when he was very young, where he learnt to play the cello, an instrument he never completely abandoned. But he began to devote himself to learning the six-string guitar, becoming a skilled performer on it very quickly.  Giuliani learnt the classical instrumental style in Vienna. Read more…

Peppino di Capri – singer and songwriter

Performer ushered Italy into the rock ‘n roll era

Pop legend Peppino di Capri was born Giuseppe Faiella on this day in 1939 on the island of Capri in southern Italy.  A hugely successful singer, songwriter and pianist in Italy and throughout Europe, Di Capri, affectionately known as the Italian Buddy Holly, had many international hits.  He began singing and playing the piano at the age of four, following in his father’s footsteps, and he provided entertainment for American troops stationed on Capri. His father owned a record shop and also sold musical instruments.  Di Capri studied classical music for five years until he discovered rock music in the 1950s. He recorded his first album in 1958 with his band, The Rockers, and had instant success.  For the next few years, Di Capri recorded some of his biggest hits, such as Voce e Notte, Luna Caprese, Let’s Twist Again and Roberta. Read more…

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Giosuè Carducci – poet and Nobel Prize winner

Writer used his poetry as a vehicle for his political views 

Giosuè Carducci, the first Italian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, was born on this day in 1835 in Tuscany.  Christened Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci, he lived with his parents in the small village of Valdicastello in the province of Lucca.  His father, a doctor, was an advocate of the unification of Italy and was involved with the Carbonari, a network of secret revolutionary groups. Because of his politics, the family was forced to move several times during Carducci’s childhood, eventually settling in Florence.  During his time in college, Carducci became fascinated with the restrained style of Greek and Roman literature and his work as an adult often used the classical meters of such Latin poets as Horace and Virgil. He published his first collection of poems, Rime, in 1857.  He married Elvira Menicucci in 1859 and they had four children.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: The Tenor: A Cultural History, by Matthew Boyden

One hundred years after the death of Enrico Caruso, and the births of Franco Corelli, Giuseppe Di Stefano and Mario Lanza, this landmark history of the tenor charts the cultural and musical evolution of the tenor voice, and the achievements of almost 400 of its greatest exponents, from the 17th century to the 21st. Through extensive research and detailed musical analysis, Matthew Boyden traces for the first time the profound influence of religion, architecture, socio-economics, politics, technology and taste on the sound, technique and perception of the tenor as a cultural and musical phenomenon. By reference to hundreds of works of music, literature, painting, and cinema, Boyden reveals how changes in cultural and social experience across Europe, Russia and the United States formed the modern tenor voice. Spanning opera, art music, theatre and popular song, it is the most comprehensive and original study of its kind. Ambitious and thought-provoking, The Tenor: a Cultural History is a fascinating resource for anyone interested in the art, science and history of singing.

Matthew Boyden is the author of nine acclaimed books on music, including The Tenor: A Cultural History, the best-selling Rough Guide to Opera, and an award-winning biography of Richard Strauss. 

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26 July

Constantino Brumidi - painter

Rome-born artist responsible for murals in US Capitol Building

Constantino Brumidi, an artist whose work provides the backcloth to the daily business of government in the United States Capitol Building in Washington, was born on this day in 1805 in Rome.  Brumidi’s major work is the allegorical fresco The Apotheosis of Washington, painted in 1865, which covers the interior of the dome in the Rotunda.  Encircling the base of the dome, below the windows, is the Frieze of American History, in which Brumidi painted scenes depicting significant events of American history, although the second half of the work had to be completed by another painter, Filippo Costaggini, after Brumidi died in 1880.  Previously, between 1855 and about 1870, Brumidi had decorated the walls of eight important rooms in the Capitol Building, including the Hall of the House of Representatives, the Senate Library and the President’s Room.  Read more… 

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Francesco Cossiga - Italy's 8th President

Political career overshadowed by Moro murder

Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga was born on this day in 1928 in the Sardinian city of Sassari.  Cossiga, a Christian Democrat who had briefly served as Prime Minister under his predecessor, Sandro Pertini, held the office for seven years from 1985 to 1992. His presidency was unexceptional, although it was during his time that another heavyweight of the Italian political scene, Giulio Andreotti, revealed the existence during the Cold War years of Gladio, a clandestine network sponsored by the American secret services and NATO that was set up amid fears that Italy would fall into the hands of Communists, either through military invasion or via the ballot box.  Cossiga, said to have been obsessed with espionage, admitted to having been involved with the creation of Gladio in the years immediately following the end of the Second World War.  Read more…

Pope Paul II

Flamboyant pope who helped make books available to ordinary people

Pietro Barbo, who became Pope Paul II, died on this day in 1471 in Rome at the age of 54.  He is remembered for dressing up in sumptuous, ecclesiastical finery and having a papal tiara made for himself, which was studded with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, topaz, large pearls and many other precious gems.  Barbo was born in Venice and was a nephew of Pope Eugenius IV through his mother and a member of the noble Barbo family through his father.  He adopted a spiritual career after his uncle was elected as pope and made rapid progress. He became a cardinal in 1440 and promised that if he was elected pope one day he would buy each cardinal a villa to escape the summer heat. It was reported that Pope Pius II suggested he should have been called Maria Pietissima (Our Lady of Pity) as he would use tears to help him obtain things he wanted.  Read more…

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Book of the Day:  Constantino Brumidi, Michelangelo of the United States Capitol, by Myrtle Cheney Murdock

Constantino Brumidi, Michelangelo of the United States Capitol by Myrtle Cheney Murdock is a captivating biography that brings to life the acclaimed artist Constantino Brumidi, who is often referred to as the “Michelangelo of the Capitol.” Murdock masterfully chronicles Brumidi’s journey from his early years in Italy to his monumental works in the United States Capitol, highlighting the challenges he faced as an immigrant artist in the 19th century. The book delves into Brumidi’s intricate frescoes and murals, showcasing not only his artistic genius but also his patriotism and dedication to the American ideals. Murdock’s vivid prose and thorough research illuminate the cultural and historical context of Brumidi’s work, making it accessible to both art enthusiasts and general readers. This homage to a lesser-known yet profoundly impactful artist serves as an inspiring reminder of the contributions immigrants have made to American art and history, enriching the nation’s cultural heritage.

The late Myrtle Cheney Murdock served as a capitol docent, and taught classes at George Washington University. 

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