hollywood billionaire

Chapter 277 The continuation of the legend

"There are countless nobles who have lived in Lake Como for a long time, but there are only a few families that are really worth mentioning. There are Medicis in Florence, Gonzaga in Mantua, and Vis who married Sforza in Milan. Conti. And Como has Odescalchi and Lucini, and many streets in the old town of Como are named after important ancestors of the two families."

"The Odescalchi family, or the Elba-Odescalchi family, is actually the combination of two wealthy families. The Odescalchi family has been doing business in Como since the [-]th century. Later, After more than ten generations of hard work, the Odescalchi family's business grew bigger and bigger. They opened a bank in Genoa and developed into a quite successful lending institution, with connections with Nuremberg, Milan, Krakow and We have established lucrative partnerships with large clients in many central cities such as Rome.”

"The abundance of wealth has led to the improvement of education and social status, and some members of the Odescalchi family began to embark on the path of theology. Within 100 years, there were successively Bishops of Alexandria, Vijva Bishop Connolly…and a pope, Innocent XI.”

"The same pope who owns this land?"

"The pope who originally owned this land." Mattia corrected Han Yi's tense error, "Since Benedetto Odescalchi transformed into Innocent XI, Odescalchi The Qi family then entered the palace and became part of the highest aristocracy in Rome, and many political powers and benefits also came to them."

"The Pope trained his nephew Livio to become the first wealthy and powerful politician in the family. He successively acquired the Principality of Cerri, Bracciano and Sirmia, and was appointed by Leo, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Bode I bestowed the title of Imperial Prince. In addition, Innocent XI's sister Lucrezia Odescalchi also married Alessandro of the Elba family at this time, realizing The marriage between the papal family and the Milanese imperial agent family.”

"Benedetto, Livio and Lucrezia worked together to build a huge political and business kingdom based on Odescalchi's already strong foundation. The land of Passalacqua Manor is It fell under the control of the Pope at that time.”

"But there is no eternal comfort in the world. After enjoying nearly 120 years of prosperity and wealth, the Odescalchi family fled to Hungary to avoid Napoleon's French army. In order to raise funds, this undeveloped land was used for many years. Sold for a low price to Count Andrea Lucini Passalacqua.”

"Compared to the Odescalchi family, which only had written records in the thirteenth century, the Lucini family has a much longer history...even older than Como itself. The city of Como was only founded in 196 BC. It was founded by the Romans, and the Lucini family became active in the world in 280 BC."

"That means..." Han Yi made a quick calculation in his mind, "The Lucini family has existed for 2300 years?"

"Yes."

"I have never heard such exaggerated figures, at least in terms of family history." Han Yi sighed sincerely.His high school is the oldest local government-run school in the world. It has been teaching continuously since the time of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty and has a history of 2157 years.But even this rare length is a full 150 years shorter than the Lucini family.

Just how prominent a family must be to be remembered in history books for 300 years?
"The first founder of the Lucini family was Gaius Fabricius Lucinus. He was born into a civilian family called the Fabricia family. This family has always lived near Lazio Altrim, which they had called home since at least the time of Cicero. The Fabrician family had never produced a powerful heavyweight, and Gaius was the first... Fact He was also the first Fabrician to leave Altrim and work hard in Rome."

"The Roman Republic of that period was extremely prosperous, but also extremely xenophobic. They successfully conquered other ethnic groups on the Apennine Peninsula and regarded them as inferior ethnic groups. The nobles and citizens of Rome, regardless of their status, were very hostile to these people. A foreigner who entered Rome, so working under such very unfavorable conditions, Gaius was still able to achieve a series of brilliant achievements, which is a very remarkable thing in itself."

Having said this, Mattia pointed to the left wing of the first floor of the main building. In the corridor exhibition hall, a medieval-style print hung in the most conspicuous position.

“For this reason, the Lucini family admires their ancestors very much. In this manor, you can see paintings of Gaius by artists from all periods, each of which was commissioned by the Lucini family out of their own pocket. .The painting we are looking at now was painted by Gentile da Fabriano. There is a similar painting in the Giant Room of Palazzo Foligno Trinci, and the ones hanging with him are all Roman greats like Scipio and Marcus.”

"Then Gaius himself has achieved those achievements, and can he be called a giant with them?"

"Dante regarded him as a model of virtue, and even directly recorded his real name in the "Inferno" of "The Divine Comedy" and highly praised him. I think for future generations, this is his greatest achievement. "Mattia Colombini replied methodically, "For the people at that time, his authority came from his having served as consul of the Roman Republic twice in 280 BC and 278 BC. Pyrrhus of Rosia confronts him head-on.”

"Ah, he is the one who put the word Pyrrhic victory into the annals of history?" Han Yi likes to read history, and especially likes to study the close connection between history and popular culture.The meaning of Pyrrhic victory in English proverb is "Injury to the enemy by one thousand, damage to oneself by eight hundred" in Chinese, which is a metaphor for a tragic, unsustainable, and superficial victory.

"Well... yes and no. You know, there were two consuls in the Republic, and it was not he who led the army on the Greek front, but Bulius Valerius Laevinus. In the consulship For most of his time, Gaius was responsible for the areas of economy, internal affairs, and people's livelihood. But at the same time, we can also say that it was Gaius's successful operation of the Roman economy that made Pyrrhus' victory so bitter."

"Your knowledge of the history of the Lucini family is really admirable." Obscure Roman names flew out of Mattia's mouth one after another. This kind of mastery of knowledge at his fingertips was unsurprisingly praised by Han Yi. .

He likes to talk to people who can enrich, broaden and inspire him at any time.

No matter what the identity of the person is.

"Managing Passalacqua Manor gives me a lot of free time for reading... Moreover, as the housekeeper of the manor, I should also know the history of the manor so that I can answer questions from guests at any time."

Mattia's answer was very humble, but Han Yi could see that his originally restrained and depressed spirit suddenly cheered up.

"Historical records record that Gaius refused a large number of gifts from Pyrrhus and was not corrupted from within by his enemies. This noble quality was the source of his written praise from Dante... In addition, during his tenure, he also used his family as a The city of Luxembourg was established in the name of Luxembourg, which is today’s Luxembourg.”

"Fascinating anecdote." Han Yi nodded slightly, "This can explain why the Luxembourg flag was hung in the tea room just now... That was a tea room, right?"

"It is the smaller one among the six living rooms in the manor, Mr. Han." Mattia corrected him, "But you are right. The descendants of the Lucini family are indeed proud of Luxembourg and their spiritual hometown, especially after its founding.”

"Inspired by Gaius, the Lucini family flourished in various regions of Italy until the twelfth century. Ardizzone-Lucini I gained the favor of Frederick Barbarossa and served as bishop of Como. , brought the Lucini family here for the first time. Subsequently, the positions of bishop and archdeacon in the Diocese of Como were taken in turns by many descendants of the Lucini family. Of course, there are also some members of the family who specialize in politics and military fields. Talents: Commander of the Como Army when Federico Barbarossa attacked Milan, Rector of the Diocese of Romagna, senior officials of Padua, Consul of Milan, Mayor of Bologna, and professors of medicine and law at many universities... "Every prestigious title you can think of in Northern Italy has been held by members of the Lucini family."

“Interestingly, one of the most accomplished members of the Lucini family, Luigi Lucini, was appointed cardinal of the Holy Church by Benedict XIV in the mid-eighteenth century; The first year of the year happened to be the last year of Innocent XI's reign." "The inheritance of history." Han Yi smiled, "It seems that the inheritance of Passalacqua Manor is also inevitable."

"It can be said that the different political tendencies of the two families also determine the final ownership of the manor. The Odescalchi family is close to the Holy Roman Empire, while the Lucini family has a good relationship with Napoleon. Because the Lucini family He had been fanatical about unifying Italy and opposing the intervention of the Austrian Empire, so he had common interests with Napoleon. This interest soon turned into a friendship that lasted for generations. Andrea was a good friend of Napoleon I, and his descendants Francesco and Napoleon III were close friends."

"Therefore, it is conceivable that Napoleon's first Italian campaign ended in victory. After the French army successfully occupied Milan and Mantua in 1797, the influence of the Lucini family in the local area also increased day by day. And Napoleon entered the Apennine Peninsula. Exactly ten years ago, the far-sighted Andrea began construction on Lake Como and laid the first stake for the future Passalacqua Estate."

"The count's idea was simple. He hoped to build a convenient resting place besides his palace in Como, which would be the perfect place for him to entertain friends from the political, artistic, literary and musical circles."

"As a true esthete, the Count was not a show-off person, at least not on the surface. He spent a lot of money to hire the best architect in Milan and even Northern Italy at that time, the Swiss Carlos Fe Lissoway, who came to help him complete the design of the Passalacqua estate. He was one of the most outstanding graduates of the Academy of Fine Arts in Parma and for many years the chief architect of Milan Cathedral, Palazzo Angisola, Bovara The palace and the Palazzo Visconti in Alari were both his work.”

“In the Lake Como area, Solvay also left many outstanding works, such as Villa Salazar and Villa Scacchi Caminati… You see, this is Villa Scacchi Caminati. "

Mattia Colombini pulled out the pictures saved in the photo album of his mobile phone and showed them to Han Yi.

"Wow."

Magnificent architectural scale, simple geometric architecture, Greek, Doric and Roman details, and a preference for milky white exterior walls.In general, Han Yi's eyes lit up as a simple and simple counterattack against the complicated Rococo style.

It does look much richer and more interesting than Passalacqua Manor.

"I really like this style."

"More... outstanding than Passalacqua, right?" Mattia asked with a smile.

"It might be rude to say this..." Han Yi breathed a sigh of relief, "But it's true."

"Sowe, along with Simon Cantoni, is known as the greatest neoclassical architect in Lombardy. If he was allowed to have free rein, he could actually create a much more classic shape than the current manor, but his The employer had other ideas. The count did not want fancy architectural ornamentation, only...a profound refinement and sobriety."

"Profound sophistication and sobriety." Antoine Gachet repeated, "I never thought that the word simplicity can be described in so many words."

"This is also a helpless choice." Mattia shrugged. "The manor was built in 1787, which was one of the most turbulent periods in Italian history. The anti-French alliance became more and more intense, and the remnants of the French Revolution , and the sudden escalation of the Italian independence movement, making everything in the future full of uncertainty. The Count and his Lucini family are the backstage supporters of the Italian resistance movement. He and his business partners are going to talk in this manor. Things must not flow into the ears of the Holy Roman Empire, Prussia, Britain, and especially Sardinians."

"That's why the main building of the manor is designed to be so simple and unpretentious." Han Yi likes the way Mattia Colombini introduces Passalacqua Manor. His style, professionals like Biryan Serhunt Real estate agents please him even more.Taking history and humanities as the starting point, he deeply analyzed the origin of the manor and the source of the design concept. This not only gave him a new understanding of Passalacqua's overly simple facade design, but also gave him an unconscious sense of The urge to own it.

It turns out that this now dilapidated and declining manor actually has such a rich and profound heritage.

In Han Yi's view, the significance of purchasing it has gone far beyond the single dimension of "acquiring a luxury resort hotel".

Buying it means becoming a witness, protector and inheritor of history.

"Yes, that's why Passalacqua can hardly be praised for the artistry of his styling."

"But the inside is completely different from the outside." Han Yi looked around, "There are antiques and famous paintings everywhere... I don't know what kind of wood is used for the floors and walls, but it is definitely not cheap."

"The exterior design is for the world to see, and the interior decoration is for yourself. What the Earl wants to do is to deceive the world, not himself."

Entering a reception room that could be described as magnificent, Mattia stretched out his arms above his head, drawing the attention of Han Yi and Antoine to the murals painted on the ceiling.

"Mr. Han, this is the real charm of Passalacqua."

“Away from the public eye, a neoclassical pageant has been going on for hundreds of years.”

"This is a unique performance conducted by Giocondo Albertoli."

　I personally like this chapter and the subsequent plot of Passalacqua Manor. I hope you will like it too.
　　The inheritance of wealth is not only in the form of currency and physical objects, but also in the form of history and humanity. I think this is also one of the core attractions of Shenhao Wen, to see how wealth shapes society and the country.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)