Venice: Palazzo Papadopoli. Aman Canal Grande Venice
– Mi Tocchera Ballare – L’Ultimo Principe di Trabia book launch.
Mi Tocchera Ballare
L’Ultimo Principedi Trabia
by
Special guest editor - Betsy de Lotbiniere
Under
the impossibly high ceilings of the Palazzo Papadopoli -- the largest Palazzo
smack in the middle to the Grand Canal -- top Venetians gathered for the launch
of a book "Mi Tocchera Ballare. L'Ultimo Principe diTrabia" (My Turn to Dance. The Last Prince of Trabia) celebrating one of
their own. Conte and Contessa Giberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga (who live in
chic bohemian splendour atop what is now the Aman Hotel), were the hosts.
From
the start, it was a family affair. We were greeted at the gate by the secretary
of the Conte and Contessa, then directed to the lift to the fourth floor
by first one beautiful daughter, Mafalda then greeted at the door of the salon
by another daughter Maddalena. Seated facing the glorious windows
overlooking the Grand Canal, the sense of a meeting of the tribes increased. In front of us, Raimonda Lanza di Trabia and her
daughter, Octavia Casagrande, (daughter and grand daughter of Raimondo
Branciforte Principe di Trabia) co-wrote this epic tale.
Their
cousin, Count Arrivabene gave a warm welcoming introduction. Next
the suavely handsome Roberto De Feo treated us to the story of the
complicated lineage of the super-glamorous Sicilian Príncipe who was, as they
say in England, born on the wrong side of the sheets. Through twist
after twist of fate, he turned into a supernova of manhood, fighting in Spain,
racing cars, gambling, hunting, cavorting with Errol Flynn. As families do,
there was much butting in. After all, Giberto, or Gibi, as the Count
is known, was the one who found the long lost trunk that held some clues as to
why the prince who lived so vividly, took his own life in 1954 at the tender
age of 39. . . You have to buy the book!
Contessanally's special guest editor: Betsy de Lotbiniere is an American born poet, journalist and author living in London.
Vera Arrivabene Valenti
Gonzaga, Raimonda Lanza di Trabia, Fabrizia Caracciolo di Castagneto and
Ottavia Casagrande
Palazzo
Papadopoli: Aman Canal Grande Venice – Mi Tocchera Ballare – L’Ultimo
Principedi Trabia book launch. Ottavia
casagrande, Roberto De Feo, Raimonda Lanza di Trabia and Giberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga.
Photograph
copyright and courtesy - Raimonda Lanza di Trabia
Mi Tocchera Ballare – L’Ultimo Principe di
Trabia. Raimondo Lanza di Trabia with Errol Flynn in Rome.
Giberto and Bianca Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga
Maurizio Pizzi, Barbara Berlingeri, Pier Luigi Pizzi and Lucia Zavagli
Mania Hruska and Betsy de Lotbiniere
Lesa Marcello
Filippo and Alessandra Gaggia
Rosella Mamoli Zorzi
Marino Zorzi and Bianca Loredan
Roberto De Feo and Manuela Luca Dazio
Giovanni Giol and Antonia Miletto
Mi Tocchera Ballare – L’Ultimo Principe di
Trabia - Raimonda Lanza di Trabia, Ottavia Casagrande is published by Feltrinelli in Italian.
Photograph
copyright and courtesy - Raimonda Lanza di Trabia
Mi
Tocchera Ballare – L’Ultimo Principe di Trabia. Aristotele Onassis and Riamondo
Lanza di Trabia – Trabia, Summer, 1954.
Gibi,
Fabrizia, Bianca, Leonardo and Maddalena
Pasquale
Gagliardi and Davide Battista
Pilar
Coin and Fiammetta Fazio
Giordana
Vaccari Manuela Luca Dazio and Cristina Beltrami
Pietro
Dottor
Vase
designed by Massimo Micheluzzi
Marie
Bagnasco
Giovanni
Rubin de Cervin and Enrique de Guzman
Clemy Viezzer and Carlotta Battistella
photographs
copyright and courtesy - Raimonda Lanza di Trabia
Mi
Tocchera Ballare – L’Ultimo Principe di Trabia. Trabia Castle seen from the sea and
the staff in their livery.
Benedetta Giannelli Viscardi, Letizia Bovio, Alessandra Gaggia and
Daniela Suppiej
Alessandra and Alessandro Zoppi
Enrichetta Emo and Antonia Miletto
Maria Novella Benzoni, Pasquale Gagliardi and Cecilia Benzoni
Olivia Richli
Mafalda, Maddalena and Leonardo Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga
Paolo Orlandi and Gilberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga
We Drank
Castelletto
Bianco
Jane da Mosto, Servane Giol and Francesca Bortolotti Possati
Silvia Menetto, Bianca Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga and Veronica Tuzii
The view from Palazzo Papadopoli of the Grand Canal with Palazzo Grimani
inthe foreground.