Cristiana Brandolini d'Adda
Countess of Valmareno
BornCristiana Agnelli
(1927-02-16) 16 February 1927
Turin, Italy
Spouse(s)
Brandolino Brandolini d'Adda, Conte di Valmareno
​
​
(m. 1947)​
Issue4
FatherEdoardo Agnelli
MotherVirginia Bourbon del Monte
OccupationSocialite

Cristiana Brandolini d'Adda, Contessa di Valmareno (née Agnelli; born 16 February 1927), is an Italian socialite and member of the Agnelli family.

Early life and family

Cristiana Agnelli was born on 16 February 1927 in Turin.[1] Her father was Edoardo Agnelli, an industrialist, and her mother was Donna Virginia Bourbon del Monte, a noblewoman.[1] Her paternal grandfather, Giovanni Agnelli, founded Fiat S.p.A. Her maternal grandfather was Carlo del Monte, Prince of San Faustino. She was the fifth of seven children. Her sisters were Princess Clara von Fürstenberg, Countess Susanna Rattazzi, and Countess Maria Sole. Her brothers were Gianni Agnelli, Giorgio Agnelli, and Umberto Agnelli. Agnelli's father died in a plane crash when she was eight years old and her mother died in a car accident when she was eighteen years old.[2] Her paternal granddaughter is Coco Brandolini d'Adda, whose mother was the ambassador of the Valentino style in the world and whose sister had an on-off relationship with Lapo Elkann, and her father descends from Philip IV of France and Maria Theresa of Austria.[3]

Career

Brandolini d'Adda was photographed by Cecil Beaton in 1951.[2] In 1973, she was added to the International Best Dressed List for "outstanding example of elegance without ostentation", and was elevated to the Best-Dressed Hall of Fame in 1975.[2] She has been noted for her style and taste in both fashion and decorating.[4][5][6]

Personal life

At the age of nineteen, Agnelli moved to Rome with her sister Susanna to study art. At a party in Cortina d'Ampezzo, where she was visiting her sister Clara, she met Brandolino Brandolini d'Adda, Count of Valmareno, nicknamed Brando, the son of Carlo Brandolini d'Adda, Count of Valmareno, the president of Municipal Company of Lagoon Waterborne Transport,[7] and Maria José Alvares Pereira de Melo. In 1947, they were married in a Catholic ceremony at the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on the Island, Tiber Island, in Rome.[2] Upon marriage, Agnelli became Countess Brandolini d'Adda of Valmareno.[8][9] Her husband was the descendant of Brandolino Brandolini, and of Erasmo Stefano of Narni by marriage of Brandolino's son Tiberto to Erasmo's daughter. Brandolino and Erasmo were close friends and in memory of this friendship, the coat of arms of the Brandolinis still bears the depiction of the braids of the famous captain of Narni.[10] They had four sons: Tiberto, who was nicknamed Ruy,[11] Leonello, Nuno, and Brandino.[1] Tiberto would go on to marry Princess Georgina de Faucigny-Lucinge et Coligny, Nuno married Muriel Phan van Thiet, and Brandino married Marie Angliviel de la Beaumelle. The couple owned homes in Venice, Paris, and Geneva but mainly spent time at their country estate Vistorta.[12] Brandolini d'Adda's husband died at the age of 85 in 2005.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Biografia di Cristiana Agnelli". Cinquantamila.it (in Italian). 14 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Reginato, James (12 June 2017). "Inside 'La Dolce Vita' of Countess Cristiana Brandolini D'Adda". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Mancinelli, Antonio (20 April 2012). "Come vivere un'emozione da Coco: Intervista a Cornelia Brandolini d'Adda". Marie Claire (in Italian). Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Golfar, Fiona (20 September 2013). "October Vogue: A Fine Romance". British Vogue. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Bartolucci, Marisa (21 December 2015). "Adoring an Italian Master, Renzo Mongiardino". 1stdibs. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  6. ↑ Mondadori Sartogo, Martina (17 January 2017). "Marcantonio Brandolini Takes Us Inside the Palazzo Brandolini in Venice". Town & Country. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "Il Messaggero d'Algeri / direttore Federigo Giolli". Gallica. 13 June 1935. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "Si è spento il sorriso della bella Marie Brandolini d'Adda, contessa in laguna". La Nuova di Venezia e Mestre (in Italian). 1 June 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Brandolini family". Vogue Italia (in Italian). 21 January 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Eroli, Giovanni (1813-1904) Auteur du texte (1876). Erasmo Gattamelata da Narni : suoi monumenti e sua famiglia / per Giovanni March. Eroli,...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "An Italian Socialite in Texas". W Magazine. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "La boda de Cristiana y Brando fue casi secreta, 'por los comunistas'". Vanity Fair España (in Spanish). 16 August 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2023 – via PressReader.
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