D’Annunzio’s Letters to Baccara to Be Published After 1985

Letters from d’Annunzio to Baccara can finally be made public, revealing correspondence from d’Annunzio sent to Luisa Baccara (1892-1985) during the years of their intense and long-lasting relationship. The poet met the pianist, who was praised by Toscanini, in Venice, during the final months of the war.

The romantic relationship that then develops was destined to last continuously throughout the Fiume adventure and the final move to Gardone, where Baccara was the “official” partner of the Commander, as everyone called the veteran from the victorious war.

The relationship between d’Annunzio and Baccara

In the early days, d’Annunzio called her “Barbarella,” rekindling with her one of the greatest loves of his life, that with Barbara Leoni. Later, he would call her Smikra or Papessa, depending on whether he wished to emphasize her bruna, Orientale-looking beauty or her majestically severe demeanor.

The legacy of Baccara

Upon her death, on January 29, 1985, Baccara donated to the Vittoriale, where she lived until 1938, a chest containing d’Annunzio’s correspondence and some objects: Murano glass horses, boxes and wallets, the silk shirt, and the bandages used to bandage the poet’s injured eye in 1916.

Regarding the letters, Baccara expressed in her will that they should be “published” only 15 years after her death. Given the importance of the correspondence (1919–1938), which documents a crucial period in d’Annunzio’s life, the Fondazione will compile them into a volume to be made available shortly.

Follow-ups and publications

In 2000, the ban on publishing another significant witness from the Vittoriale years was also lifted: Aélis Mazoyer, the loyal housekeeper who accompanied d’Annunzio since his exile in France. She left a valuable diary recording daily life within the Gardone citadel. The Mazoyer diary will also be published.