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| (L-R) Gennaro De Crescenzo, Maurizio de Giovanni and Emilio Caserta |
By Cav. Charles Sant’Elia
In September 1993 a young Neapolitan teacher and a core group of merchants, professors, journalists, artists, and students embarked on a bold mission, rather quietly, but steadily. In a volatile and changing Europe and Mediterranean, filled with both optimism and pessimism amid wars, assassinations and political scandals and trials, these men and women built upon the kindling flame from the torch passed on by Silvio Vitale, Carlo Alianello and a few families with long historic memory of the true history of the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Prof. Gennaro De Crescenzo organized an old-school grassroots effort, through letters, articles, phone chains and flyers. He offered a simple and sincere invitation: pizza and refreshments at a café in the old Borgo Marinaro in the heart of Naples and a conversation among countrymen from every region of the former Kingdom, which shared a millennia of unity. By the dozens, people were phoning friends and family, even from public pay phones, to tell them to come and attend as the speakers and topics moved the audience. As a counterpoint to the national commemorations for the entrance of Garibaldi in Naples on 7 September 1860, author Riccardo Pazzaglia spoke and presented the Two Siclies anthem by Paisiello.
Expecting at best a small group, the Neoborbonici were amazed when people kept coming and spilled over into the streets and a crowd of hundreds gathered. Things progressed steadily from there via countless private initiatives and the hard work and dedication of thousands. What once was the realm of historians and specialists, nostalgics, Southern nobles, and a few militants, became part of mainstream discourse among all generations. So much so, that within barely one generation the explosion in publishing, cinema, concerts and symposia, and street protests and petitions forced the police, politicians, television commentators, and establishment intellectuals to respond to the counter-narrative and demands brought forth by the growing movement. By November 1993 the movement opened its first headquarters in Vico Gerolomini in the historic center of Naples and by December 1993 it organized a major demonstration to defend the importance and prestige of the historic 18th-century San Carlo Theatre, which was being largely ignored and demoted by the political class and in need of maintenance. To mark the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies with the surrender of 14 February 1861, thousands of people went to Gaeta to assemble at the fortress. While Italy hosted the G7 meetings in 1994, making use of several Bourbon sites, the Neorbonici mobilized to donate six Two Sicilies flags to the foreign delegations. They received cordial notes of thanks, including a letter from President Clinton of the United States.
Convinced that logic and facts were on their side, the Neoborbonici rallied around a simple mandate and self-imposed standards to do the research both on the past and the present, to offer a new vision for the South and Islands. The ordre du jour was to simply go to the archives for the true history, go to the government departments for the current data and seek justice by telling the truth and reeducating and reinvesting in the people and territories. The counter-reaction was swift from Risorgimento apologists and Lega Nord supporters, who traffic heavily in fake narratives and falsehoods. Relishing the debate, the Neorbonici marched forward for the next thirty years. Nowadays events ranging from public debates, conferences, historical reenactments, and even soccer matches are moments of pride, replete with Two Sicilies flags and the playing of the national anthem. Local languages and dialects have again taken center stage in publishing houses and theatres. Businesses offer historic-inspired designs and products and schools teach local history, culture and language. Boycotts of companies and political parties who do not act in the interests of the regions and initiatives to restore local place names and street names ensued, as did outreach to the large diaspora communities around the world. When Naples won its third Scudetto in 2023, Two Sicilies flags were ubiquitous, from the stadium to streets and buildings. Originally dismissed as fringe and a sort of weekend cosplayers, the Neoborbonici now make many establishment figures uneasy. Seeing this, many in the movement have come to see their power of persuasion.
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| Neoborbonici celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the movement |
As the Neoborbonici summed up in the pages of Il Mattino: «I thank all those present, above all the delegates of the other regions in particular, of the United States, Lombardia, Puglia and Calabria – declared the president of the Movimento Neoborbonico, Gennaro De Crescenzo – and the many people who in these years have contributed to the success achieved on the road to Memory, Pride and Reclamation». «After thirty years, we are sure that our topics and battles have managed to enter into the lives of everyone, as many recognized here tonight – declared Salvatore Lanza, national secretary of the Neoborbonici – we see new generations more proud and with an ever stronger identity, once they derided us now they respect us. We are finally building a new ruling class».
«We have a date with the next events and awards with the pride of having changed history and of having become, with hundreds of thousands of people, a historiographic and cultural group associated with the defense of Naples and the South – concluded Emilio Caserta, head of the Neorborbonici youth – we are seeing a sense of greater belonging, even among the young who are forced to emigrate: the next objective is to see them stay».
For further information see,
• Gennaro De Crescenzo, Noi, I Neoborbonici: Storie di Orgoglio Meridionale, Magenes 2016
• https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064538176244&sk=photos&locale=it_IT
