Distant relatives, the two men stand today, cast in bronze, looking at each other across one of Florence’s most patriotic piazzas. Renamed Piazza dell’Indipendenza after it became the site of the bloodless uprising in April 1859 that led to the banishment of Grand Duke Leopold II from Tuscany, on the north side stands Baron Bettino Ricasoli (1809-1880), statesman and twice prime minister of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy; on the south side stands the equally aristocratic Florentine Ubaldini Peruzzi de’ Medici (1822-1891), minister in several post-unification governments and mayor of the city.
Although work on the two statues took place at the same time, they were sculpted by two different artists: Riscasoli by Augusto Rivalta and Peruzzi by Raffaello Romanelli. When they were completed, in 1898, King Umberto I, dressed in full military uniform, unveiled them during an impressive ceremony whilst, in the background 2,000 school-children sang nationalistic songs.
Belonging to the realist school of sculpture, portraying his subjects in contemporary clothes and natural poses, Augusto Rivalta (1835-1925) was born in Alessandria and studied at the Accademia ligustica di belle arti in Genoa before moving to Florence to work at the studio of Giovanni Dupr?, the most celebrated sculptor of the epoch. In 1874, he was appointed professor of drawing and sculpture at the Accademia di belle arti of Florence and, probably because he had fought bravely as a volunteer in the second War of Independence, he received numerous commissions to sculpt some of the Risorgimento’s greatest heroes. These include the seated figure of Camillo Benso, Conte of Cavour, located in the entrance hall of the Banca d’Italia in via dell’Oriuolo in Florence, and the equestrian statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi situated in front of the Carlo Felice Theatre in Genoa.
Suprisingly, for he was a much-respected artist, Rivalta’s statue of Ricasoli did not meet with everyone’s approval at the time of its inauguration. One contemporary critic, lawyer and writer, Guido Nobili (1850-1916), who lived in the square just behind it, lampooned the work in his Memorie Lontane. He said Ricasoli, ?poor fellow,’ looked ridiculous as he bent slightly forward to put down his collapsible top hat. Today, Ricasoli is, instead, holding a piece of paper in his hand. Exactly when and why the hat disappeared and was replaced with the paper remains a mystery.
Known as the Iron Baron for his legendary rectitude and religious austerity, it is unlikely Ricasoli would have been amused by the gibes levelled at his representation. Born into one of the oldest noble families in Tuscany, whose roots go back to the twelfth century, Ricasoli had been required to shoulder responsibility early. Just 18 years old when his father died, he had to take care of his younger brothers as well as restore the fortunes of the family’s heavily indebted castle and estate at Brolio, not far from Siena.
Seeking political reforms in the Grand Duchy, Ricasoli founded La Patria newspaper in 1847 and, a year later, was nominated Gonfalonier of Florence. However, he soon resigned the post in response to Leopold’s reactionary policies. After the grand duke was ousted, Ricasoli was appointed a minister in the provisional Tuscan government; in that position, he actively promoted Tuscany’s annexation to the new nation, which took place on March 22, 1860. A vocal and highly influential advocate of unification, he spread his views through the pages of La Nazione, which he had helped to establish in 1859, now Italy’s oldest newspaper. He also became president of the journal Nuova Antologia and of the publishing house Le Monnier.
Tall, thin and gaunt, Ricasoli, as a moderate liberal of the historical right known as the Consorteria (?political clique’), was elected to the national parliament that then met in Turin in 1861. He served his first term as prime minister, after the death of Cavour, from 1861 to 1862, but following his second term, 1866 to 1867, he virtually abandoned national public life when his programme to reconcile the church and state failed.
Returning to Brolio, Ricasoli became mayor of Gaiole whilst still continuing his scientific studies as a member of the Accademia dei Georgofili, which he had joined in 1834. He travelled extensively, particularly in France, studying advanced agricultural methods, always searching for ways to improve his vineyards. This led, in 1870, to his development and production of that ?sublime wine,’ Chianti, with its unique blend of Trebbiano, Sangiovese and Canaiolo grapes.
So close, in fact, was Ricasoli’s affinity to his land that local legend maintains that since his death, his ghost, wrapped in a long black cape, can often be seen on clear moonlit nights out riding with his hunting hounds in the countryside surrounding his castle.
Promoted by the Comitato nazionale per il bicentenario della nascita di Bettino Ricasoli, the Societ? toscana per la storia del Risorgimento and the Fondazione Spadolini Nuova Antologia, a documentary exhibition entitled Bettino Ricasoli e il suo tempo (?Bettino Ricasoli and His Time’) will be held at the Accademia delle Arti e del Disegno in piazza San Marco, Florence during March and April 2011. For more information see www.aadfi.it, www.bettinoricasoli.it or call 055/219642.
For information about visiting the Ricasoli castle and winery in Brolio at Gaiole in Chianti, go to: www.ricasoli.it/Il-castello-ospitalita.
