Mr and Mrs Valentino decided to spend their delayed honeymoon in Europe where they would be able to relax in the home of Natascha’s parents, and also visit some of the places they had talked and dreamt about in their early days of courtship.

With Mrs Werner they sailed out of New York harbour on the ‘Aquitania’ as he watched the receding line of sky scrapers he must have made the comparison between his arrival in 1913 and now. Below in his suite the air was heavy with the perfume from the huge baskets of flowers sent by well wishers. Every available nook and space had been filled with cards and messages. He was going back to his native land a famous man with a beautiful wife by his side.What more could a man ask of life?

Travelling Valentino.

Achievement filled his soul added to the thrill, and expectation of visiting new places and seeing for himself the historical background of a past history which had always fascinated him. For Valentino was a great reader of the histories of the World and had when he died a valuable collection of old books covering ancient civilisations. He had a great knowledge of the subjects much to the concern of some intellectuals who thought a film star should be handsome but without brains. If he had lived he would certainly have made a great film of the Italian Renaissance.

Valentino kept a faithful day to day diary of his holiday and ‘My Trip Abroad’ was published in ‘Pictures and Picture Goer’ in June 1924 to July 1925.

Mrs Werner left the ship at Cherborg and in the evening the Aquitania docked at Southampton. An English summer is not always what it is supposed to be and the Valentino’s arrived in London at midnight in pouring rain. He had given instructions to his secretary to withhold the time of his arrival, and was surprised to find a crowd waiting in the rain outside the Carlton Hotel in the Haymarket.

The day started with the press a room full of them. When he discovered this was to be the daily scene he rationed the reporters to so many each day. Besides he had introductions and invitations, to meet many people in London, amongst them Lord and Lady Birkinhead there were theatres sightseeing and a house party at Ascot to be fitted into their short stay.

It is not only the cockney who feels the drawing power of London Valentino felt this too and responded. He and Natascha walked the streets just for the pleasure of coming unexpectedly upon some bit of ancient history or cockney humour he hated organised sightseeing. He loved the down to earth free and easy repartee of the street trader and the flower seller. It would be a great loss if ever London became a city of machines and concrete shells.

Another facet of Valentino’s character was his extravagance. It is curious that man who had known such dire poverty and the indignity of sleeping rough on a park bench should have so little regard for money. In London he ordered new clothes not in one’s but in half dozens. Saville Row was delighted with his as he stocked his wardrobe with their suits and shirts.

Needless to say Natascha followed his example in Paris where she bought wonderful gowns by Poiret in the most exotic colours dramatic effects and rich fabrics suited Natascha. Swathed and turbaned she stood alone, not for her the pastel shades of the timid personality.

At a luncheon party in New York Valentino had been co guest of honour with Mr Tilly an executive of London Newspaper and Magazine. Requested by his wife who ran the Stoll Theatre Club, he invited Valentino at the club as a guest speaker. The Stoll theatre club had a high expectation amongst those connected to the theatre, its standards were high, and many distinguished people spoke there. Afraid that it could violate the legal injunction against him, Valentino at first refused to consider the request.

But when assured it was a private club he accepted. Mr and Mrs Tilly were both impressed by the quiet manner and modesty of Valentino who spoke well and kept the interest of his audience.

In 1970 Gwen Vaughn interviewed Mrs Tilly still remembered Valentino as one of the most interesting personalities she had had to introduce.

With the rest of Europe to see the Valentino’s reluctantly left England by air with a cargo of Pekenese puppies which Natascha had bought from the famous kennels of Mrs Ashton Cross.

Before leaving London Valentino went into the Wykham Studio in Victoria Street to have a passport photograph taken when he gave his name, the assistant exclaimed, ‘Oh! My God’, to which remark Valentino replied ‘No not a God, only a mortal’. (This story was told to G.V.  by Marie Elliot, founder of the Valentino Assoctaion.)

Valentino was met at the airport by Jaques Hebertot, owner of the theatre Des Champs Elyees, and editor of ‘Le Theatre of Comedie Illustree’. A Lightness and Gayety pervades Paris. One immediately feels younger. The charm and grace of the tree lined Boulevards, which have formed the background of so many artists and musicians is still there. There, young men of genius from other countries like Frederic Chopin and his contemporaries found encouragement to achieve their greatness. In the park Moncesu there is a delightful monument to Frederic Chopin which very few tourists ever see.

Valentino’s first few days in Paris follow the same pattern as he had adopted in London, interviews, sightseeing etc. One of the first things he did was order a car for himself and one for Natacha. As these would not be ready for some time the Voisen Company loaned him two cars and a driver.

Driving an open tourer at a reckless speed Valentino ran into a belt of rain on his way Deauville. Rain stung their faces like a lash of a whip. It dripped from the overhanging branches of the trees. When Natascha could stand the discomfort for no longer she insisted the car be stopped and she and Pekenese be transferred to the closed car carrying the luggage.

M. Herbertot had rented a Villa for three days, and what strated out as pleasant interlude somewhat out of temper Valentino drove on out of anticipation of warmth and comfort awaiting for them…… They arrived to find the Villa cold with no fires to speak of and no telephone and the housekeeper surly and unfriendly. Being young their sense of humour rose to the occasion.

The only opportunity Natascha had to show off her wonderful gowns by Poiret was at the Casino. Valentino was not by nature a gambler and the tired and set faces of the professional gamblers depressed him. Natascha got more fun watching the byplay of the women that tried their luck at seducing her husband, in fact she encouraged the comedy for her own amusement.

When there was a little light in the sky they ventured out into the surrounding countryside where they lunched at wayside Inns and enjoyed delicious hot bread and the local wines. Valentino returned to Paris not with vivid memories Grand Prix or the sun drenched hours he had expected to spend but with gentler memories of old Gothic Farmhouses which had once been castles. Where a man could find peace for his weary soul.

As the reader may have guessed Valentino was someone to be reckoned with when he sat behind the wheel of a car, an expert driver, with a powerful engine at his command he was in a happy mood and out to enjoy himself. On the way from Paris to Mr and Mrs Hudnut’s Chateau at Et Juan Les Pins this narrative nearly came to an abrupt end he was driving too fast and not taking enough care on the treacherous mountain road which wound like a serpent ahead of him. Rounding a corner he faced…… nothing. It was a double bend standing on the brakes he brought the car to a standstill within inches of a precipice. When he regained his nerve he asked Natascha if she had seen his guide, ‘Black Feather’, and he explained he had seen him wrench the wheel of the car as they had turned the corner.

Late in the evening the whole family which now included a Dauberman-pincher, which was a parting present from M. Herbertot, arrived at the Chateau. The Chateau had been lent to the French Government for use as a Hospital during the 1914 – 1918 war, and was now being restored in the style of Louis XV1. As a compliment to Valentino and Natacha, Mrs Hudnut had decorated their apartments in the modern American style.

After a few days rest it was time to move on. The party, which now included Mrs Werner, stopped in Genoa. Their schedule included a visit to the Agricultural Academy where Valentino had trained to be a scientific farmer. As a boy he had been very different to the immaculately dressed man who now toured the Lab, and inspected the animals.

In Milan Valentino met his sister. Natascha and Maria were something of a shock to each other. Natacha trained in the art of make-up, and elegant as usual, beheld Maria without the benefit of even face powder. Maria’s views were narrow. Only women of a certain reputation painted their faces. If her brother had not already arrived, he was well on his way to the devil. Valentino did his best to remedy this false impression. They brought her new clothes and cosmetics but were not wholly successful in changing her mind.

Covered with white dust and looking like a travelling troup, with luggage strapped to various parts of the car the travellers arrived in Florence. A telegraph pole had been most inconsiderate and stood in the path of the car. They had been loudly cursed by an irate old woman driving a cart, and by other sundry drovers with their cattle on the road. Valentino was not to blame. Oh no! These were difficulties the best of drivers were subjected to.

Florence steeped in the glories, and iniquities of past ages has much to offer the visitor. She was the breeding ground  of the plots and intrigues in the 14th and 15th centuries, and there were many great families with only one ambition, the murder and rape of their rivals and the occupation of Papal seat in Rome. The interest Valentino held for ‘Benvonuto Cellini’ provided him with the opportunity provided him with the opportunity to take more than a passing interest in Florence, for one of Cellini’s greatest works stands for all to admire. Cellini’s Perseus now stands in the Loggis Dei Lenzi in Florence. It is also one of the dramatic and moving scenes in the French opera ‘Ben Ven Uto Cellini’ by Hector Berlioz which, unfortunately is seldom produced. One of Valentino’s rare finds was a book dealing with period costumes. Throughout his tour he was always on the look out for books that would assist him when he made his own film of the Italian Renaissance.

Leaving Florence all along the route there were delays on the way to rome. In Sienna they forgot time and had to stay the night at an Inn. Not that they slept very well they were too excited over the purchase of a supposed Holbein and Valentino got out his pad and pencil and try and find out through his automatic writing if his painting was genuine. As a matter of fact it was not, and it was sold in America.*

The Eternal City legend tells us, stood on the Palatine Hill, later spreading to the Capitoline, Quirinel Viminel, Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine. ‘The Seven Hills of Rome’. For two thousand years Rome has meant magic and fear, for succeeding generations of people her armies no longer rule the world, but millions of people are still held in bondage, to Rome. Everything in Rome is great from the two hundred and eighty two columns that support one hundred forty statues of Saints in St Peters Square to the vast Coliseum. One is left with a feeling of awe and wonderment of the architectural achievement of its builders.

The difficulty facing Valentino in Rome was deciding what to see and what to leave out. Part of the time he was the guest of Baron Passini, a former president of the Unione Cinematografice Italiena he proved a good friend and arranged for them to visit the sets of ‘Quo Vadis’ where Emile Jannings was filming.

*See: Séance no 61. June 14th 1969 Rudolph Valentino refers to his purchase.

Baron Passini proved a valuable friend to Valentino he took him out to the Palace at Nettuno which was in his possession at the time. Situated outside Rome it had at one time belonged to Cesare Borgia and the Italian Government had supervised the restoration from old documents. The furnishing were of the period. The Palace which stand by the sea, is built on solid rock and contains dungeons and torture chambers. Above the galleries and Ente-rooms were dark and made sombre by the velvet draperies. Natasha disliked the atmosphere, but Valentino was impressed and wrote in his diary: “I think that it would fascinate me to live in such a place, I have very steady nerves or even an imagination that needs such stimulation, but I have always felt strongly akin and at home in places of this kind. I am not afraid of the dead or of ghosts, the whole store and lore of grizzly fears that have shaken the human race at thought, or apprehension of meeting with the dead, is quite foreign to me, I am not afraid of anything pertaining to the life beyond.”

“And it isn’t because I don’t believe in it it is because I do, I BELIEVE IN THE SUPERNATURAL I don’t believe there is anything I would or could be afraid of. It seems to me we have more cause to be afraid of the living than of those that have gone on shaking off as they go, the lusts and cruelties of the body.”

“What the average man calls death I believe to be merely the beginning of life itself we simply live beyond the shell. We emerge from out of its narrow confines like a chrysalis. Why call it death or, if we give it the name death why surround it with dark fears and sick imaginings?”*

*See: ‘My Private Diary’ by Rudolph Valentino 1929

At a discussion at which they all took part it was decided that Natascha should return to Niece by train Maria and Mrs Werner were to accompany Valentino Castellaneta. The brothers and sister had become widely separated over the years. Maria, and her mother had moved to France where Gabriella Guglielmi dies in Paris. So Maria was left all alone. Alberto was now Secretary General at Campo Besso, and had a wife and son aged 9. There was great excitement when the family was reunited at Campo Besso.

Souther Italy, at the time was agricultural. The narrow roads wind between the Olive groves and Vineyards, and before Mussolini built long straight roads linking the larger towns there was very little unnecessary traffic. Valentino found the going extremely difficult they were plagued by hordes of children who ran by the side of the car, and tried to climb aboard. Cars were indeed a novelty not to be missed. Since Valentino had already experienced the rough edge of one old Italian womans tongue he wondered what his fate would be if he hit a child, also mule carts leaving the fields and laden with produce were another hazard. One Mule had reared up and nearly shot the contents of the cart into their laps.

From Taranto, one approaches Castellaneta through miles of Vineyards and Olive groves. Turning a corner there is a ravine spanned by a stone bridge. It is so deep, it might have been slashed by the hand of a giant holding a sword. On the skyline are the white stone houses of the town where Valentino was born. The white stone is cut from the local quarries the town has a main street, a square, were the locals parade at night, and small narrow streets in the old part where, as late as 1960 the old women dressed in black sit on their doorstep. A surprise awaits the visitor to Castellaneta there is a beautiful Cathedral ‘The Cathedral of the Assunta’ which contains a magnificent figure of Jesus robed in a vivid blue cloak. The Cathedral stands on the very brink of the ravine where there is a sheer drop of a thousand feet.

No one can possibly describe the emotions of Valentino as he stood looking at the balcony and windows of the old house, a house that was to become a tourist attraction and Castellenata’s proudest possession. Only a few yards from the house, in a ceremony attended by Civic Dignitaries, Film Stars and Television cameras, a memorial to Valentino was unveiled in 1961. Also the house was to be turned into a museum. At that time there were also plans in operation to commemorate Valentino’s memory with the opening of an old peoples home. Another idea being considered was a Valentino scholarship for young boys and girls. But as so often happens, with a change of officials second thought of economy prevailed and the chance was lost to attract tourists and bring much needed Lire to the town.

In 1923 few people knew of Valentino. Many had never seen a movie. It was many years since Valentino had left Castellaneta, there was very little to interest him, so he was glad to get away from the attention his car was causing.

Castellaneta having been left behind Valentino hoped to drive into Naples that night but changed his mind and stopped in Salerno. This was a fortunate decision as it gave him an opportunity to spend some time in Pompei, Pompei suffered an earthquake which destroyed her. After seventeen years of hard work the rebuilding was nearly complete when on Aug 24th 79A.D. the town was completely buried by a shower of ahes and lapillis thrown up by the hitherto slumbering Vesuvius. Situated on the lower slopes of the volcano, and at that time on the seashore, the town had a high standard of civilization and culture which had been influenced by the Greek and Egyptian cultures.

Far away from Rome the Pompeians followed their own way of life and indulged their pleasures to the full. Mostly wealthy merchants, philosophers, and poets they dressed in rich fabrics, were waited on by slaves and held court with arranged entertainments for their guests.

Gradually men of science and the government began the work of uncovering the hidden glories of the dead. Unfortunately, many of the treasures were removed to Naples Museum, and not enough care taken in the early days to record their place of discovery.

Naples is a town of sharp contrasts, In the water by the gardens, by the waters edge the fonds of the palm trees gently sway in the hot breeze. In the Bay of Naples the beautiful Isle of Capri lies like a jewel set in a sapphire sea, and always on the skyline, the majestic Vesuvius, her smoke rising like a plume in the blue sky. The appalling overcrowded conditions in which the poorer Neopolitan lives is deplorable. Hordes of children have become beggars in the streets clutching at the skirts of the visitor in an effort to win sympathy and a few Lire.

Valentino spent an extra day in Naples, where the streets were crowded with people welcoming the Crown Prince Humberto.

The remainder of the trip was accomplished with few mishaps. He and his party pressed through Rome and arrived in Nice to find a cable stating that Mr J.D Williams, who was associated with Famous Players Lasky would meet him at Cherbourg. Valentino wanted the meeting to be in London, but Mr J.D Williams was insistent that it should be on the ‘Leviatham’.

Arriving in Nice, Valentino was distressed to be told Natascha had, had a miscarriage.

The rest of the journey nearly ended in disaster. In response to a cable from Valentino, the trunks had been sent from Paris to Cherbourg. No trace of them could be found when Valentino arrived in Cherbourg late that night.

After some persuasion the official agreed to unlock the station, where the missing trunks were found. In a permanent drizzle Valentino loaded the onto a hand cart and trundled his load to the quay, where the customs officer forced him to unload, and display each separate piece of the luggage. They were looking for Gobelin Tapestries which had been stolen near Paris.

Nearly swept overboard by raging seas, Natacha nearly lost her jewel case, fortunately the boatman had the good sense to return to the quay.

When Valentino eventually arrived in London he expected to hear some good news concerning his film career, instead of which, Mr Williams said: “Oh yes, why we had a nice party arranged for you, we had a band.”

Valentino and Natacha sailed out of Southampton on board the ‘Belgenland’ en route for home, and work.

Back in America, Paramount offered Valentino a new contract containing terms which he found acceptable, and with the signature of Adolph Zuker the long dispute was over, and he chose a story of ‘Monsieur Beaucaire’ for his first film.

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