Before dedicating himself to the preparations for " Monsieur Beaucaire", Valentino made a long trip to Europe with Natacha. They voyaged from capital to capital, visiting England, France and Italy. Valentino became swiftly aware that his success was a world-wide phenomenon: he was welcomed everywhere by hysterical, screaming mobs. In Italy, however, things were different. Thanks to the Fascists, only the vaguest rumour of his success as the "great lover" had reached his native land. The couple visited monuments, did the rounds of elegant night clubs and were invited to receptions where they met fashionable writers and artists.
In his free time Valentino custom was to set himself to writing his highly regrettable poetry. A poem entitled "You", was written during this trip, expressing his romantic leanings, and another, "Three Generations of Kisses", which recalls his mother and the warmth of his family. Rudy and Natacha spent three days in a sumptuous castle in Nice belonging to Natacha's mother and step-father, Hudnut. From there they travelled to Milan, where they met up with Valentino's sister, Maria, who worked there in a clothes shop. They met at the Hotel Perugia, and after embracing eachother warmly, began to talk of Castellaneta and the past. After two days together, and promises to meet again on the return north, the tour of Italy resumed.
In Florence the couple stayed in the palazzo of Baron Fassini, a close friend of Hudnut. The baron followed them to Rome in his limousine and acted as their guide to the eternal city, where they visited the set of "Quo vadis?" with Emil Jannings in the part of Nero. In Rome they also had a brief meeting with the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, whose innumerable non-artistic vices included an active enthusiasm for fascism. When Rudy left for Castellaneta, Natacha, unable to cope with the heat and dust, decided to take the train back to her parents' home in Nice. Valentino stopped off in Taranto to pick up his brother Alberto and with him went to Castellaneta, where he visited his parents' graves and paid his respects to his uncle.
Rudy had always admired Alberto, but now he seemed to him a simple uncultured person, whose description of his life in Italy somewhat disinterested him. He brought his brother back to Taranto and they parted, promising to see eachother again. In Milan, he went to get his sister, Maria, and swept her off for a week to the Hudnut's castle in Nice. When the time came for the couple's return to America, Maria was heartbroken. Valentino embraced her and swore that he would be back soon.



INDEX ITALIAN SPANISH