Ponderable Quote from ‘La Monarchia Tradizionale’ by Francisco Elías de Tejada

Translated from the Italian*

Via Toledo, 1963

Perhaps now it is too late to revive the Tradition of Naples. But, for those who still try to denigrate her or want to ignore her, there are vestiges of her in the books that are not read, in the people who are despised, and in the hearts of many who unconsciously feel them as I do. Therefore, walking many afternoons in the noisy Via Toledo I suffered the deep sadness of solitude, consoled only by the serene voice of the last Neapolitan traditionalist, my brotherly friend Silvio Vitale, when the call I felt in the depths of my being told me that it was impossible for the people of my ancestors, rich in generous loyalty, creator of great concrete freedoms, and champion of universal enterprises, to end up like this. I will die, but I want to die with the hope that, even if buried and derided, the tradition of my Naples cannot remain inert archeology. God's justice cannot allow a people who have been an instrument of him in the decisive battles of history to die amidst derision. Not even if, as seems to happen, the Neapolitans let themselves go into the madness of a collective suicide.

* La monarchia tradizionale, Francisco Elías de Tejada, Capitolo Settimo,  La Tradizione di Napoli, 6 Via Toledo, 1963, Controcorrente Edizioni, 2001, P.153-154

Feast of Santa Margherita di Scozia

Santa Margherita di Scozia, ora pro nobis

June 10 is the Feast of St. Margaret of Wessex (c.1045—1093), Queen of Scotland. Sometimes called “The Pearl of Scotland,” she is the patron saint of large families, parents who have lost children, and service to the poor.

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Margaret of Scotland. The accompanying image of St. Margaret is by French portrait painter Nicolas de Largillière. Evviva Santa Margherita di Scozia!

Prayer to St. Margaret of Scotland

Merciful God, you gave the holy Queen Margaret of Scotland great love for the poor. Lend your ear to the intercessions of this holy woman and help us to live after her example so that your goodness and mercy become visible in today’s world. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Meridiunalata XXXI: "Eldorado" by Edgar Allan Poe Translated into Neapolitan

In Search of Eldorado
by William Heath Robinson

In this installment of Meridiunalata / Southernade, Cav. Charles Sant'Elia translates “Eldorado” by Edgar Allan Poe into Neapolitan.

Eldorado
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

  Gaily bedight,
  A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
  Had journeyed long,
  Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

  But he grew old,
  This knight so bold,
And o'er his heart a shadow
  Fell as he found
  No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

  And, as his strength
  Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow;
  "Shadow," said he,
  "Where can it be,
This land of Eldorado?"

  "Over the mountains
  Of the moon,
Down the valley of the shadow,
  Ride, boldly ride,"
  The shade replied,--
"If you seek for Eldorado!"

Eldorado
Edgar Allan Poe
(traduzione napoletana di Cav. Charles Sant’Elia)

  Addubbato cu allería,
  Nu cavaliere gallante,
Sott''o sole e a ll'ombra,
  'A tiempo ha viaggiato,
  Cantanno na canzona,
Ascianno Eldorado.

  Ma s'è fatto viecchio,
  Stu cavaliere accussì audace,
E ncopp''o core sujo n'ombra
  Cadeva ca nun ha truvato
  Na lenza 'e terra
Ca pareva Eldorado.

  E, pe tramente 'a forza
  Lle mancava a n'appoco,
Ha ncuntrat'a n'ombra pellerina;
  "Ombra," ha ditto,
  "Addò starrà,
Sta terra d'Eldorado?"

  "Arret’’e muntagne
  D''a luna,
Lloco abbascio 'a valle 'e ll'ombra,
  Cravaccate, cravaccate cu curaggio,"
  Ha respuosto ll'ombra,--
"Si jate truvanno a Eldorado!"

Also see:
• Meridiunalata IX: "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe Translated into Neapolitan

Rosary March for the Consecration of Texas to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral in Dallas, Texas

Remembering Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France, Titular King Louis XVII of France

Domine salvum fac Regem et exaudi nos in die qua invocaverimus te.1

In memory of Louis-Charles (27 March 1785 – 8 June 1795), Dauphin of France, Titular King Louis XVII of France, we pray for the happy repose of his soul. Vive le roi!

Eternal rest grant unto His Majesty, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

Note:

(1) Lord, save the King, and hear us when we call upon thee.

Photo of the Week: Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, Vietri Sul Mare

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Congratulations Amalfi on Winning the 66th Annual Palio Delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare

La nobilissima, l'illustrissima, l'agiatissima opulentissimaque

Amalfi, Sunday, 5 June 2022 — On its home seas, the ancient and glorious city of Amalfi won its thirteenth Regatta of the Four Ancient Maritime Republics (Palio delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare) against their historic rivals Venice, Genoa, and Pisa. We salute our Amalfitan champions and wish them continued success in the future. Forza e onore!

A Prayer for Owo, Nigeria

St. Patrick, ora pro nobis

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the horrific terror attack on Pentecost Sunday at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. May St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assisi, and Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi watch over you.

Prayer for the victims

Loving God, welcome into your arms the victims of violence and terrorism. Comfort their families and all who grieve for them. Help us in our fear and uncertainty, and bless us with the knowledge that we are secure in your love. Strengthen all those who work for peace, and may the peace the world cannot give reign in our hearts. Amen.

Three Bourbon Statues in the Pacini Garden in Catania

King Ferdinando I with scepter and sword was inaugurated in 1853

In the Giardino Pacini in Catania, Sicily stand three statues of Bourbon Kings by accomplished sculptor Antonio Calì (1789-1868), pupil of Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen. All three were vandalized in 1860 by the invading Garibaldini and later removed to a municipal warehouse. Heads lost forever, the heavily damaged statues were kept in storage for over a century before finally being relocated to the gardens in 1964. They are pictured here with drawings of the sculptures in their original state.

Photos by Gian Luca Giorgetti Toraldo Di Francia courtesy of the 1° Reggimento Re Facebook group.

King Francesco I in classical regalia was inaugurated in 1833

King Ferdinando II also in classical garb was inaugurated in 1842

Startling Discovery of an Unintended Time Capsule Dating Back to the Early Twentieth Century – Part 2

Mint lapel pin for the Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori from 1935

I was meaning to share this sooner, but I’ve been busy with work, and life in general, and unable to take pictures of some of these historical artifacts before now. These latest findings from our exploration of a dank storage facility in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn are arguably more interesting and a little more varied than the first haul we unearthed back in April [See Startling Discovery of an Unintended Time Capsule Dating Back to the Early Twentieth Century]. With only a fraction of the collection examined thus far, we are sure to uncover much, much more.

Clearly, the person who once owned these objects had a strong fascination with the ventennio fascista, which admittedly is not all that surprising. If we’re being honest, when I was a teen I remember a lot of older people in the community speaking fondly of Il Duce. “If only” they would often lament, “he didn’t get caught up with that other guy.” It was not that uncommon to see Mussolini’s portrait or bust on display in a store or café in the Eighties, so one can only imagine how popular he was during the Roaring Twenties and Thirties, when most of these objects are from.

Times have certainly changed. Other than childishly calling someone a “fascist” when they disagree with you, the expired system and its bellicose progenitor are virtually forgotten. Not surprisingly, other than our inquisitive circle of history buffs, and a few socialist professors with a morbid curiosity for all things fascist, few people have shown any real interest in our discoveries.

Despite what I may or may not think about these items, or how they contrast with my own Monarchist political leanings, I remain detached and concern myself only with their historical significance and preservation. We cannot learn from history without examining it, and we cannot examine the past if it remains buried.

~ Giovanni di Napoli, June 1, Feast of Sant’Annibale Maria di Francia

The pin, with fasces logo, is sewn to the envelope

Oversized postcards dated 4 May 1916 with the
goddess Minerva pointing the way to victory

A couple of interesting books from the 1920's

MNH 1931 Marca da Bollo revenue stamp

1940 US stamp commemorating the 400th anniversary of the exploration of the Southwestern United States by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his Captains

(L) Stacks of Neapolitan sheet music. (R) Post card with
embossed American and Kingdom of Italy flags

(L) Metal etching with traces of ink. (R) Postcard with famed
Neapolitan singer Gilda Mignonette (Grisela Andreatini)

Postcard with a dapper looking Mussolini and untarnished replica medal

Envelope from Naples dated 1936 filled with postcards (see below)

King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Benito Mussolini

Il Duce and Sciaboletta

A stoic looking Mussolini in helmet

Equestrian portraits of Il Duce

Mussolini wearing the Arditi style fez

(L) Il Duce with the diminutive King during le grandi manovre. (R) Dressed in black shirt, Mussolini harangues a large crowd of followers in Piazza Venezia 

Princess Marie José of Belgium and Umberto, Principe di Piemonte

Prince Umberto di Savoia, the future King Umberto II of Italy

Prince Umberto of Piemonte, later the May King 

General Pietro Badoglio, Viceroy of Italian East Africa

(L) Count Gian Galeazzo Ciano. (R) Pietro Badoglio

Pietro Badoglio, Maresciallo d'Italia

Rodolfo Graziani, Marquess di Neghelli

Feast of San Ferdinando III, King of Castile and León

San Ferdinando III, ora pro nobis

May 30 is the Feast of San Ferdinando III (c.1200-1252), King of Castile and León. During the Reconquest of Spain, the “invincible champion of Christ” conquered the cities of Córdoba, Jaén, Sevilla and Murcia. A wise and virtuous monarch, with a great devotion to Our Lady, he was a model Christian ruler. The holy sovereign’s sword, Lobera, or "wolf-slayer,” is kept in the Capilla Real in the Cathedral of Seville. He is the patron saint of engineers, prisoners, the poor and rulers. In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Ferdinand of Castile. Evviva San Ferdinando III!

Prayer to St. Ferdinand of Castile

O God, who was pleased that blessed Ferdinand should fight thy battles and overcome the enemies of faith: grant that, protected by his intercession, we may be delivered from the enemies of mind and body. Amen.

Photo of the Week: Allegory of Charity, Vatican

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

A Look at the Unveiling of the Monument Dedicated to King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon in San Leucio, Caserta

A bronze statue dedicated to King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, sculpted by Don Battista Marello, was officially unveiled this afternoon in the Borgo di San Leucio, Caserta. Viva 'o Rre!

Photos by Angela Cuccillato and Gennaro Conte were liberally gleaned from Facebook.

This Morning Caserta Shines for the Bourbons Again

Photo courtesy of Movimento Neoborbonico

Statue of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies being installed this morning in San Leucio, Caserta. It will officially be unveiled on Sunday 29 May. Viva 'o Rre!

Ponderable Quote from ‘The Diary of a Writer’ by F.M. Dostoevsky

Portrait of Dostoevsky in 1872 by Vasily Perov

“Take the instance of Count Cavour,—wasn’t his a great mind? Wasn’t he a diplomat?—I am citing him because his genius is generally recognized and also because he is dead. Yet what did he do, look: Oh, he did achieve his aim, he did unite Italy, but what was the result?—For 2,000 years Italy bore in herself a universal unifying idea—not some abstract idea, not a speculation of some theoretical mind, but a realistic, organic idea; the fruit of the national and universal life. This was the unification of the whole world—first, the ancient Roman and later—the papal unification. The peoples who have been growing and disappearing in Italy in the course of these two and one-half millennia, understood that they were the bearers of a universal idea, while those who did not understand it felt and divined it. Science, art—everything was invested and permeated with this universal significance. Oh, let us admit that, at length, this universal idea became worn out and wasted there (although hardly so!). But what—in the long run—has come in its stead? Upon what can Italy be congratulated? What advantage has she achieved after Count Cavour’s diplomacy? —There rose a united second-rate little kingdom which had lost every kind of a universal aspiration; which exchanged it for the most worn-out, bourgeois principle—the thirtieth repetition of this principle since the French revolution a kingdom fully content with its unity which means nothing, a mechanical, and not a spiritual unity (i.e., not the former universal unity), and on top of that—a kingdom burdened with insolvent indebtedness, and, in addition,—one specifically content with its own second-rateness. This is what came of it; such was Count Cavour’s creation!” 

Reprinted from The Diary of a Writer (1877, May-June, Chapter II: Former Agriculturists—Future Diplomats) by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, translated and annotated by Boris Brasol, George Braziller, Inc., 1954, P.718-719