On August 12, 2014 (August 11 online), the New York Times (
visit link) ran the following story:
"Standing Guard Over a Monarchy’s Tainted Legacy
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDOAUG. 11, 2014
ROME — For 136 years, the Honor Guard to the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon has stood watch over the mortal remains of the Savoy kings who formerly ruled Italy, paying a discreet, sober tribute to a once-powerful dynasty in recognition of its role in unifying the country.
Standing ramrod straight at the sides of the massive mausoleums commemorating King Vittorio Emanuele II and his son Umberto I, they are meant to remain silent, though more often than not they end up fielding questions from inquisitive tourists.
That is, when they are present. Despite recent efforts to attract new members, the ranks of the Honor Guard have grown thin, and the tombs are often unattended.
A restoration of the Colosseum in Rome has been financed by the Italian luxury group Tod's, one of several corporations funding renovations of public antiquities in Italy.
The guards themselves attribute the decline to the waning commitment to the Savoy kings among a younger generation of Italians who they say have forgotten values like patriotism. Others, however, point to the checkered history of the former royal family, and the troubles of their current heirs, which have done more to inspire tabloid headlines than passion for the family’s long role in Italy.
King Vittorio Emanuele II, who died in 1878, played an essential part in founding modern Italy, and his memorial at the Pantheon in Rome is dedicated to the “Father of the Homeland.” It also houses Umberto I, who was assassinated in 1900. Umberto’s wife, Queen Margherita of Savoy, is buried next to him.
But the royal family was tainted for supporting the rise of Fascism in the years between the world wars, and in 1938 King Vittorio Emanuele III signed racial laws that discriminated against Jews. The king eventually dismissed Mussolini in 1943, but after signing an armistice with the Allies, he and his government fled German-occupied Rome for Brindisi, in Puglia, effectively leaving Italy’s troops leaderless.
The male descendants of the family were formally exiled as punishment in 1948, two years after Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the monarchy in favor of a republican government. That ban was lifted in 2002, but the family’s reputation never fully recovered.
Even now, some visitors to the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon “come to insult us,” said Giuseppe Persico, a police officer from Velletri, a town of about 50,000 in the Lazio region, as he carried out Honor Guard service on a hot August morning. “They think that Italy today is better than it was before,” he added disdainfully.
Those attracted to the Honor Guard are apt to overlook the less-savory parts of the family’s history, or are drawn to what they see as the larger, enduring values that they believe are represented in the institution of the monarchy. Many lament that young Italians feel little sense of civic duty.
“Believing in values like patriotism is fairly atypical among people my age,” acknowledged Carmelo Raia, 22, a law student who last month traveled to Rome from Agrigento, Sicily, to stand guard in the Pantheon. Like most other new recruits, Mr. Raia labels himself a “history buff” who was drawn to the guards because of their emphasis on national identity, history and tradition. “My contemporaries don’t even know the meaning of the word patriotism,” he said.
For others, the values embodied in the Savoy dynasty are less than noble, and there is little sentiment in Italy for any kind of restoration.
The guards are commendable, because “right or wrong they believe in the ideals of the institution,” said Lorenzo Del Boca, an essayist who has written extensively about the royal family. “But we only had disasters from the House of Savoy. With the exception of Umberto II, who was king for 40 days, there is little to say that is positive,” he said.
It has not helped the image of the former royal family that some of the current heirs cannot keep their names out of the papers.
The leadership of the House of Savoy is bitterly contested by two cousins: Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, and Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, who drew headlines after his return to Italy from exile, when he was arrested in a 2006 corruption and prostitution investigation that ended in his acquittal.
His son, Emanuele Filiberto, has become a popular television personality who has taken part in the Italian version of “Dancing With the Stars,” and in the San Remo song festival, the pop competition that enthralls the nation every February. Supporters of the monarchy rue that the young prince has shown little inclination to adopt a more regal role.
“He likes to see himself as a man of the people,” said Franca Sciaraffia, a retired university professor who is a member of the Milan chapter of the National Institute for the Honor Guard of the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon. Between 15 and 20 percent of the institute’s 4,000 members are women. “He doesn’t realize he has 1,000 years of history on his back. He’s not doing his job,” she said.
Trying to attract recruits, the Honor Guard relaxed its requirement that members belong to the military, and gradually opened to civilians. The spike in membership — topping 5,000 guards — peaked in 2006, a few years after the Savoy male heirs were allowed to return to Italy.
But numbers have dropped since then, in part because of the prince’s legal troubles, but also because the novelty of the monarchy’s return wore off. Today, the average age of the guards is between 50 and 60, and only about 5 percent are under 30.
A youth honor guard — the Giovane Guardia, or the Young Guard — took root, “but they’ve never been that numerous,” said Capt. Ugo d’Atri, a retired navy officer who has tried to broaden the appeal of the Honor Guard since he was named its president in 2003. “And this I regret.”
Anyone can apply to become an honor guard, as long as the applicant does not have a criminal record and shares the ideals the institute promotes. But it can be a tough sell.
“Our store offers the kind of merchandise that doesn’t always find buyers,” Captain d’Atri said, admitting the difficulties he has had in increasing the guard’s ranks with like-minded people. “We’re living in an increasingly global, consumerism-driven society. It’s not a place where strong sentiments and values prevail.”
The institute is not affiliated with any political party, and is not a revanchist movement. But it has been campaigning — with petitions and support of parliamentary bills — to bury in the Pantheon the remains of the four Savoy family members who died outside Italy during the exile. They are buried in Egypt and France.
“I think that most people with a sense of history would agree with our request,” Captain d’Atri said. So far, however, the bills have foundered in preliminary parliamentary commissions, suggesting the issue is not a priority.
Beyond any political questions, Captain d’Atri said, “it’s like putting a photograph back into the family album.” Bringing the remains back to the Pantheon, he said, would be an “act of reconciliation between those who voted for the republic and those who voted for the monarchy and their heirs — it’s underscoring that this history belongs to Italy.'”