Mussolini first wife
One of the most notable characters of the Second World War and, indeed, of the 20th century, Benito Mussolini, or as he was better known, Il Duce rarely needs an introduction. The Fascist leader of Italy captivated the world with his bold promises of restoring the Roman Empire, promising to once again return the Mediterranean Sea to its rightful status as Mare Nostorm or “Our sea.” Il Duce’s meteoric rise to power, culminating in , was fueled by his charisma and his bombastic addresses to the public.
Using his imposing oratory skills, Mussolini fed the desperate Italian public the steady diet of instilling confidence in his demoralized countrymen and promising a return to Italian glory - ensuring that he was the man who could singularly heal the wounds that had plagued this once great people.
We all know the well-known trope that “opposites attract” in the world of relationships.
But when considering a man of Benito Mussolini’s character type, who regularly consumed approximately 98% of the oxygen in the room in order to fuel his ego and oratory style, it was an absolute necessity. Enter Rachele Mussolini or “Donna Rachele”, as she became known to the world. Born Rachele Giudi in , Rachele was first introduced to Benito after being hired to the Mussolini family-owned tavern in Predappio as a kitchen maid.
In the two were joined in less than holy matrimony due to Benito’s anti-clerical stance - but matrimony nonetheless.
Rachele guidi biography wife She was born into a peasant family and was the daughter of Agostino Guidi and wife Anna Lombardi. After the death of Rachele's father, her mother became the lover of the widowed Alessandro Mussolini. In , Mussolini married his first wife, Ida Dalser. Though the records of that marriage were destroyed by Mussolini's government, an edict from the city of Milan ordering Mussolini to make maintenance payments to "his wife Ida Dalser" and their child was overlooked. In , they renewed their vows in a religious service after his rise to power.The two were not formally wed until , well after Benito’s rise to the position of dictator. Rachele resisted relocating to Rome, preferring life outside the capital and would only relocate seven years later. Even then she sustained her avoidance of the limelight, much preferring the life of a homemaker. This contrast to her husband, in addition to a lot of traditional Fascist propaganda, earned her the love and sympathy of the Italian populace who were eagerly consumed by the trope of Mussolini and his traditional wife.
Much of what is known about Rachele is understood through the lens of her husband, but her dedication to her children and her husband and commitment to family cannot be overstated. Rachele lived for family and in turn dedicated herself to their care.
A less than perfect union
The marriage of Benito and Rachele most often unfolded in the privacy of their own home.
Unfortunately Il Duce’s indiscretions often did not. A well-known philanderer, Mussolini wantonly disregarded the fidelity tenet of marriage and regularly absconded from his marital bed. The explicit details of Il Duce’s escapades came to light with the publishing of the diary of Ercole Borrato, Benito’s longtime driver. The diary depicts a man wanton in his lust who possessed all the efficacy of a less physically restricted JFK, often having him stop while driving to pursue a beautiful woman he observed.
Benito would regularly retreat to his beach resort, Castel Porziano, in order to properly concentrate on his less than sanctimonious trysts.
Rachele seemingly tried her best to deal with her husband’s nature. Once stating, “My husband had a fascination for women. They all wanted him. Sometimes he showed me their letters – from women who wanted to sleep with him or have a baby with him.
It always made me laugh.”[1] This was a surprisingly cheery view of the situation. However Borrato’s diary also contains a small glimpse into the pain Rachele must have experienced. In one instance, Benito returned to their home only to find Rachele waiting for him to confront him, chastising him for his lack of fidelity.
One can imagine his car was symbolic of her husband’s infidelities. Despite the pain his cheating caused it seems Rachele had a harsher view of Benito’s other great pastime, politics. She once remarked: “You can't be happy in politics, never, because one day things go well, another day they go badly." [2]
Veni, Vidi, Vici - except the opposite
Mussolini’s bold proclamations of a return to Roman glory were soon exposed as the blustering of an overcompensating tyrant.
Fascist Italy’s dreams of conquest quickly came to a sputtering halt. First, Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in after months of preparation badly exposed the Italian military.
Rachele guidi biography married: Rachele Guidi (Italian pronunciation: [raˈkɛːle ˈɡwiːdi]; 11 April – 30 October ), also known (particularly in Italy) as Donna Rachele [1] (Italian for "Lady Rachel") and incorrectly as Rachele Mussolini in the English-speaking world, was the second wife of dictator and fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
Despite modern weaponry and the use of highly controversial gas bombs, the military struggled to defeat the much more poorly armed Ethiopian forces. Next, after the commencement of the world war and Nazi Germany’s rapid success, Mussolini grew impatient and invaded Greece in Again, the Italian forces fared poorly against less equipped Greek soldiers.
The Italian advance soon flagged and then was shockingly forced to retreat, only to be saved by a Nazi intervention, further shaming Mussolini. One embarrassing defeat after another followed as Mussolini’s image shrunk in the minds of the Italian people.
Rachele guidi biography husband
Ultima di 7 figli , era di umilissime origini, essendo figlia di contadini. Fu registrata nell'atto di nascita come figlia di Mussolini e di madre ignota. Dopo la fine della guerra , donna Rachele e i figli Romano e Anna Maria furono mandati in esilio a Ischia, dove rimase fino al Questa data segna anche il ritorno della salma di Benito Mussolini a Predappio in seguito alle numerose istanze della vedova e della figlia Edda. Visse grazie a una piccola azienda agricola che gestiva direttamente, rilasciando qualche intervista e aprendo anche un ristorante nei pressi della Rocca delle Caminate , luogo vacanziero della famiglia Mussolini durante il ventennio.So much so that on July 24, , Mussolini was ousted from power by the Fascist Grand Counsel and imprisoned. The once great man and his family were prisoners of his own populace.
The final apple of his wandering eye
Mussolini and his family were soon freed from their captivity after a daring German rescue.
Instead of leaving Italy completely under Nazi control, he agreed to lead a newly created puppet state based in northern Italy. Benito was conscious of the inevitability of his impending defeat though, and helpless to affect change as greater powers used his homeland for their battlefield. Benito’s flagging spirits were buoyed by the presence of one Claretta Petacci.
A lover of Benito’s since , Claretta was devoted to Benito, sticking by him through his fall from grace. Following him to his new northern base, Claretta transformed into more than just a fling.
Rachele guidi biography wikipedia David Lehmann explains. One of the most notable characters of the Second World War and, indeed, of the 20th century, Benito Mussolini, or as he was better known, Il Duce rarely needs an introduction. Using his imposing oratory skills, Mussolini fed the desperate Italian public the steady diet of instilling confidence in his demoralized countrymen and promising a return to Italian glory - ensuring that he was the man who could singularly heal the wounds that had plagued this once great people. Born Rachele Giudi in , Rachele was first introduced to Benito after being hired to the Mussolini family-owned tavern in Predappio as a kitchen maid. Rachele resisted relocating to Rome, preferring life outside the capital and would only relocate seven years later.Claretta attempted to bolster Benito’s confidence, urging him to retake his country and punish his enemies. This was exactly the kind of support a man like Benito Mussolini preferred at the time. So much so, that as the Allies marched north and partisan Italians decided now was the time to do away with their former dictator, it was Claretta who accompanied him via car in his attempted escape.
Abandoning his family, Benito, Claretta and a few supporters attempted to make their way north into Switzerland. Unfortunately for the newly formed family unit they did not get far, with Benito’s face being all too familiar to the general Italian population. The pair were captured on April 27, and after Claretta’s refusal to abandon Benito, both were summarily executed the next day.
Rachele and her surviving children were soon captured and handed over to the Allies, spared in sharing her husband’s fate.
Rachele eventually settled in her native Predappio and never disavowed her husband’s politics and legacy.
While her public sentiments to Benito always remained positive we can never truly know what was in her heart. Being abandoned by her husband in his final drive to freedom must have deeply wounded La Donna. After the war, Rachele fought for the proper burial of her husband’s remains and the return of his personal items. However there was one personal item which she refused, a bed which she dismissed with the comment, “Claretta used it.”[3]
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[1] Rubert Colley. “Rachele Mussolini- A Brief Biography.” April 11,
[2] J. Y. Smith “Rachele Mussolini Dies, Fascist Dictator's Widow.” October 31,
[3] ID.