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Romano Mussolini
Romano Mussolini
	Romano Mussolini in 1932
Born	Romano Bruno Mussolini; 26 September 1927; Forlì, Italy
Died	3 February 2006 (aged 78); Rome, Italy
Occupations	Jazz pianist; painter; film producer;
Years active	1945–2006
Spouses	; Maria Scicolone (m. 1962, divorced) Carla M. Puccini [it];
Children	3, including Alessandra and Rachele
Parent(s)	Benito Mussolini ; Rachele Guidi
Relatives	Sophia Loren (sister-in-law); Romano Floriani Mussolini (grandson)

Romano Bruno Mussolini (26 September 1927 – 3 February 2006) was an Italian jazz pianist, painter, and film producer.^[1] He was the fourth child and youngest son of Benito Mussolini.

Early life and education

Romano Mussolini grew up in Villa Carpena [it], his family's residence in Forlì in Romagna.^[2] He studied music as a child, playing classical pieces on the piano and accompanying his father, Benito Mussolini, who played^[3] the violin. After World War II, he started playing jazz under the assumed name "Romano Full".^[4]

Musical career

His playing style has been described as "like a slightly melancholic Oscar Peterson. Occasionally inspired, he was always efficient; he made the refrains run on time."^[5]

Personal life

In 1962, Mussolini married Maria Scicolone, the younger sister of actress Sophia Loren. They had two daughters, Alessandra and her younger sister Elisabetta. Alessandra led a small Italian far-right party often described as neofascist, Alternativa Sociale. Romano Mussolini composed the party's official anthem, "The Pride of Being Italian".^[5]

With his second wife, the actress Carla Maria Puccini [it], he had a daughter, Rachele Mussolini, named after his mother Rachele Guidi. The younger Rachele has served as a member of the city council of Rome.^[6]

Mussolini was very reserved about his family history until the entry of the post-fascist National Alliance party into government following the 2001 general election.^[7] In 2004 he published a broadly sympathetic account of his personal recollections of his father, Il Duce, mio padre (translated as My father, il Duce: a memoir by Mussolini's son, alluding to the Fascist dictator's official title), including anecdotes of private confidences and discussions.^[7]

Death

Romano Mussolini died from heart problems in a hospital in Rome in 2006, aged 78.

Selected discography

Mirage (1974)
Soft & Swing (1996)
The Wonderful World of Louis (2001)
Timeless Blues (2002)
Music Blues (2002)
Romano Piano & Forte (2002)
Jazz Album (2003)
Napule 'nu quarto 'e luna (2003)
Alibi perfetto (2004) soundtrack

References

^ "Same name, different fame". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 18, 2006.
^ Frasca, Simona; Vizzaccaro, Federico (2012). "Mussolini, Romano". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 77. Treccani. Archived from the original on 25 March 2024.
^ Chornik, Katia (29 July 2002). "El violìn de Mussolini". BBC Mundo (in Spanish). BBC. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024.
^ Mazzoletti, Adriano (2001). "Romano Mussolini". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.‎
^ ^a ^b Steyn, Mark (May 2006). "He made the refrains run on time". The Atlantic Monthly.
^ "Rachele Mussolini: Fascist dictator's granddaughter wins most votes in Rome's municipal elections". Euronews. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
^ ^a ^b Mussolini, Romano (2006). "Introductory essay by Alexander Stille". My father il Duce: a memoir by Mussolini's son. San Diego, CA: Kales Press. ISBN 0-9670076-8-2. Writing the introductory essay to My Father Il Duce is a bit like writing the warning label on a powerful drug that has its uses but must be taken with care and knowledge of its potential side effects. The greatest benefit, perhaps, is understanding the evasions and self-deceptions of a certain kind of revisionist history and the conscious and unconscious manipulation of memory in learning to accept the unacceptable.