Before Truman Capote’s Swans, there was a first: Marella Agnelli. The term was coined when he was photographed by Richard Avedon in 1949. With his long limbs and Modigliani-esque neck, he said “duck”. Later, Truman Capote would call him the “European Swan Numero Uno.”
But before that, she was Donna Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto. His father came from a noble Neapolitan family. His mother was from Peoria, Illinois, where her family owned a distillery. He grew up in Rome and Turkey and speaks Italian, French and English. When Marella was 26 years old, she married 32-year-old Gianni Agnelli, the head of Fiat, whose sister she had met after World War II, when she was pushing forward as a perfect, beautiful and highly respected bride for him. In Italy, the Agnellis were not only very rich, but also a family that seemed to resemble the American Kennedys, “that is,” Miami Herald“if the Kennedys control the media, hold the reins of society, and run the biggest business in the United States.”
It could be Gianni Agnelli i hold when Marella marries him. Besides being known as the “illegitimate King of Italy”, he was also known as a playful boy. Famously, after Pamela Harriman converted him to Catholicism, he explained that he would not, as a Catholic, marry a divorced woman, a problem he would now certainly understand as a fellow Catholic. When First Lady Jackie Kennedy, on a trip to Italy with her daughter, Caroline, was seen sitting on her boat—and photos published in New York Daily News—JFK sent her a telegram that read “a little Caroline, a little Agnelli.” Jackie went scuba diving with him the next day.
Marella understood that, in terms of anger, he was very different from Gianni. He recalled, “Their lives were full of gossip. I wouldn’t say they belonged to a corrupt country, just a liberal country that was well behaved – at least compared to the one I grew up in, the independent, little-historical world known as anglo-beceri… entering into endless philosophical wisdom.”
Marella was amused by stories of Gianni’s wild driving through city streets in his fast cars, his penchant for jumping out of helicopters into the sea, and his military exploits. If he wouldn’t be the perfect husband, he would certainly be an interesting one, full of midnight runs where he could go “eighty miles an hour on blue ice.” That is, the antidote to a life spent in silent philosophical discussions.
Gianni also understood this, and later described himself as ‘a devoted husband, rather than an honest one. As for his infidelity, Marella knew all about her husband’s love for “fast cars, gambling, and beautiful women.”
There were times when he was offended by the behavior, such as when Gianni fell in love with Princess Laudomia Hercolani while Marella was pregnant with their second child. A relative came to assure him that Gianni would not leave him. One might understandably wonder if Marella also enjoyed romantic moments outside of marriage, but friends say, “Marella had one great love in her life: Mr. Agnelli…it was unshakable.”
After a while Marella thought, “I knew Gianni would come and go, but he would always come back. Who was Ulysses’ wife? Penelope? I was.”
He did not weave. But he proved to be an expert manager of his households, inspired by the advice of the famous Venetian woman, Contessa Volpi. Soon after her wedding, Marella indulged in what she called a “permanent vacation” and lay on the couch reading all day. At least until the Contessa called, said she had heard complaints that she didn’t know how to manage a household, and said, “Remember, my dear girl, all it takes to hold a husband may be a bed, but it takes a whole house to keep it!” Soon, Marella learned how to host a dinner party, tend a beautiful garden, and decorate a home, of which the couple would have several, from a villa in Turin to a second one in New York. In 1979, Marella would go on to start a line of supply fabrics, inspired by her visit to a 19th century palazzo in Piedmont.
He became famous for his good taste, as well as many characteristics of his house designs, such as the constant use of hooks inside and outside, the combination of pink and red, and the beautiful gardens he cultivated with love, which he considered to be evidence of man’s skill over the land.
And, memorably, he was a member of Capote’s Swans team, which included Babe Paley, CZ Guest and Slim Keith. Comparing Marella to Babe Paley, Truman noted, “if they were both in Tiffany’s window, Marella would be less expensive.”
But Marella didn’t want to be the best value. He wanted to be only a duck. “He called us his ‘ducks,’ but now it seemed like there were too many ducks. Some of the ducks I didn’t even like that much. I always thought my relationship with Truman was personal. The closeness, the laughs, the giggles…I thought it was a special friendship between Truman and me, not knowing if he was giggling and laughing with Babe or Gloria. duck,” she only replied, “Oh, good, dear.”
Marella was able to cope with her husband’s infidelity and even took pride in her equality. But he could not face the fact that Truman Capote was his best friend, even though he wasn’t there his.
Even if there is any indication that he was, in fact, he felt very warm towards her, that he did not dismiss her as he did with many others in his bad reputation. The Basque Coast piece. He even came to himself before publishing it in 1975; Marella remembers, “I tried to warn him on the boat when he gave me a short part of his book. I can read English a little bit, so I asked him to read me a few chapters. What are you doing?”
Truman rejected his advice and as a result was ostracized from society. As for his friendship with Marella, he decided, with great difficulty, to cut ties with him. However, “Truman was so self-centered that it took him a long time to realize that Marella had cut him out of his life.” He didn’t even pay attention.
Marella remained married to Gianni until his death in 2003. For someone who seemed to be completely devoted to the men in her life, it’s sad that no one was devoted to her in return.
