Rosanna Bonelli

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Rosanna Bonelli (born August 10, 1934 in Siena ), known by the jockey names Diavola and Rompicollo , is the first and so far only modern woman to take part in the Palio di Siena .

origin

Rosanna Bonelli comes from the wealthy Sienese bourgeoisie and is the daughter of the Italian screenwriter and librettist Luigi Bonelli (1892-1954). He wrote the libretto for the operetta Il Rompicollo ( Eng . The Daredevil ; premiered in 1928 with music by Giuseppe Pietri , filmed in 1932 under the title Palio by Alessandro Blasetti ) about a young woman who takes part in the Palio and the race for the Contrada della Selva wins, the contrada, which also included the Bonelli family. Bonelli was inspired by Virginia Tacci , who on August 15, 1581, at the age of 14, was actually the first and for a long time only woman jockey at the Palio for the Contrada del Drago . Rosanna Bonelli was a talented pianist and painter in her youth, but also took riding lessons at an early age, including in Florence.

Participation in the Palio

In the 1950s she took part in various horse obstacle races and shows. When in the summer of 1956 the film La ragazza del Palio (Eng. No closed time for blondes ) with Vittorio Gassman and Diana Dors was filmed (directed by Luigi Zampa ) and the film company staged a Palio, they mingled with the jockeys and stuntmen out of curiosity . During a break from filming , jockey Fernando Leoni, known as Ganascia , let her ride a few laps around the Piazza del Campo , as only three of the four hired riders had appeared. A fourth is said to have been drunk. Bonelli hid her long hair under her helmet so that no one of the film crew would recognize her. At the end of the day of shooting she was noticed and director Zampa warned her that she was not insured. Shortly afterwards, the stuntman who was supposed to ride for the leading actress Diana Dors injured himself. Impressed by Bonelli's ambition and skill, she was invited by the producers to replace her. After the film opened in Italy in January 1957, Bonelli made every effort to compete in a real Palio, and was supported by the film company for promotional reasons. Her uncle Umberto, however, vetoed his niece's health out of fear and urged all other contrades not to let Rosanna ride under any circumstances.

Nevertheless, the Nobile Contrada dell'Aquila , which had last won on July 2, 1956 with jockey Francesco Cuttoni , called Mezz'etto , gave her a chance in the race on August 16, 1957. The Contrada had ruined itself financially when it won last year and received a substantial sum from the film company to allow Bonelli to run. Rosanna herself had to ride for free and guarantee that she would not take any bribes. Out of gratitude, she transferred to the Nobile Contrada dell'Aquila . Officially, Bonelli went under the nickname Diavola , even though she was generally known as Rompicollo even then . Rosanna won two out of three test runs with Percina , a horse that had never run a Palio. In the actual race, she fell back to last place at the start, but gave jockey Giorgio Terni, known as Vittorino del Nicchio , a bitter duel. Later she hindered her rival Rosario Pecoraro, known as Tristezza , considerably, worked her way up to fourth and finally fell out of the saddle in the second corner of San Martino, attacked by Romano Corsini, known as Romanino . Percina was slightly injured in the fall and from then on could no longer take part in any races.

After the race, Rosanna was insulted by angry supporters of Pecoraro and even had to defend herself against physical violence with a bouquet of roses presented to her. Rosario Pecoraro carried the handicap for decades after her, claiming that he only lost the race because of Bonelli. In September of the same year she was extensively recognized in the illustrated newspaper La Domenica de Corriere .

Later years

In 2016, on the 60th anniversary of her participation in the Palio, she was awarded the traditional Masgalano Prize by the city of Siena (the name is derived from the Spanish mas galante , which means very honorable or "very stylish"). The trophy was made by her daughter Chiara Flamini. Rosanna Bonelli has lived with her two children Francesco and Chiara near Siena since the 1970s in the Villa Astreo , which her very wealthy grandfather Alessandro Bonelli had built in 1909 after he retired from farming. The family's former summer residence is now also used as a bed-and-breakfast .

literature

  • Rosanna Bonelli: Io, Rompicollo: storia della donna che ha corso il Palio di Siena , Siena 2007 ( ISBN 888858160X , ISBN 9788888581606 )
  • Dario Castagno / Robert Rodi: A Day in Tuscany: More Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide , Guilford 2007, p. 28 ff.
  • Maria Guazzi: Prime donne: le donne capitano e priore nelle contrade del palio di Siena , Monteriggioni 2004

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.ilpalio.org/aneddoti_aquila02.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.sienanews.it/cultura/rosanna-bonelli-la-mimosa-del-palio-di-siena/
  3. ↑ Dario Castagno / Robert Rodi: A Day in Tuscany: More Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide , Guilford 2007, p. 32
  4. ↑ Dario Castagno / Robert Rodi: A Day in Tuscany: More Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide , Guilford 2007, p. 33.
  5. ↑ Dario Castagno / Robert Rodi: A Day in Tuscany: More Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide , Guilford 2007, p. 30
  6. ↑ http://www.astreo.it/
personal data
SURNAME Bonelli, Rosanna
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Diavola (nickname); Rompicollo (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian rider, participant in the Palio di Siena
DATE OF BIRTH August 10, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Siena