Cesare Borgia’s Sword: ‘the Queen of Swords’
Cesare Borgia’s sword is justifiably named La Regina delle Spade or The Queen of Swords, and she is a masterpiece of Renaissance craftsmanship. Its blade, scabbard, and decorations tell a story of power, divinity, and legacy, reflecting Cesare’s self-fashioned image as a ruler destined for greatness, like Julius Caesar. The sword is a cinquedea of which […]
Under the Same Shadow: How the Borgias’ Black Legend Tainted Machiavelli
Spit out by many and hailed by others, Machiavelli is a man whose book, The Prince, has been scrutinized by the Church, analyzed by politicians, dissected by academia, and debated by the brightest minds on the planet. Its content has sparked a myriad of interpretations. However, one thing is certain: to truly understand The Prince, […]
The Life and Times of Cesare Borgia. Following in the footsteps of Machiavelli’s Prince.
It is odd to realize that nine years ago, the ‘dubious’ fictional tv-series ‘The Borgias’ unleashed in me an insatiable curiosity about the Borgia family and grew into a true passion that consumed many years of my life. Every spare moment, I sat with my nose in books, watched documentaries, read biographies, theses, doctoral studies, […]
Obscure Borgia-Related Places (4): Senigallia
Senigallia is a tiny town squeezed between its big brother Ancona towards the east, and Pesaro and Fano towards the west. Its back is protected by the gorgeous Apennines and in front, there is only blue blue sea. Today, the town is certainly ‘Italy off the beaten track’ and on its velvet beaches, you find […]
A prophecy fulfilled…
515 years ago, during the night of 11 March, not more than a flash in time, Machiavelli’s Prince, Cesare Borgia died… In Viana, Spain, this legendary Captain General never stopped dreaming of his own grand future despite four years of imprisonment, agony and boredom. With every fiber in his body, he hates pope Julius II, […]
Obscure Borgia-Related Places: (3) The Castles of Chinchilla and La Mota in Spain
Unfortunately, little is known about Cesare Borgia’s life in Spain when he was imprisoned in the castles of Chinchilla and La Mota. Still, his life over there was not without adventure nor did he sit quietly in his rooms accepting the harsh treatment of Lady Fortuna. In September 1504, exactly 62 years after Alonso Borgia, […]
Obscure Borgia Related places: (2) Cesena
This past summer, I finally had the chance to visit the beautiful little town of Cesena. Tucked away in the hills of the Romagna my Italian friends called it ‘una città bellina’ (a cute little town), but they wondered why on earth I would want to visit that ‘forgotten’ part of Italy and not rather […]
Obscure Borgia Related Places: (1) The Castle of la Motte-Feuilly
I feel so blessed that I have experienced many venues related to the Borgias; Rome, the Vatican, Cesena, Senigallia, Milan, Forli, Imola, Spoleto, Ferarra and so many other significant venues where I more than eagerly feasted my eyes on walls, floors, ceilings, beams, frescos, streets, court yards and battlements knowing and feeling, and yes, truly […]
How did the Borgias celebrate Christmas?
Well, like we do today, they began the Christmas month with advent, and if they were devout, which this cardinal family should have been (at least to a certain extent 😊), they spent the weeks up to the 24th in penitence, perhaps abstained from intercourse or fasted until Christmas Eve. From the ninth day before […]
Il Valentino ‘made by’ Francois Arnaud and Mark Ryder
All Borgia children were blessed with an exceptional physical attractiveness and we have it on more than one authority that Cesare, Rodrigo Borgia’s oldest son with Vannozza dei Catanei, was considered ‘the handsomest man in Italy’. Yet even today, we are still not sure if those handsome looks were truly ‘good looking’ (the notion of […]
