VISCONTI'S TWO FAMILIES

Luchino Visconti was born on November 2, 1906, the fourth child of Carla Erba and Giuseppe Visconti, duke of Modrone. The Viscontis were distantly related to the medieval dukes of Milan. Through this connection, their lineage can be traced to Desiderius, the last ruler of the Kingdom of Lombardy and the father-in-law of Charlemagne. In the eleventh century the family acquired the hereditary title of viscount, which eventually became the name of the family itself. Gradually the Viscontis expanded their domain until it covered most of northern Italy. It is indicative of their might that Pope John XXII excommunicated them and preached of the necessity of a crusade against them.

The male line of the Viscontis ended in the fifteenth century, but through their female members the family became related to some of the most important royal houses in Europe: the Valois, the Hapsburgs, and the Tudors. In the nineteenth century a distant branch of the family assumed the name and crest of the Viscontis. The title of duke of Modrone was granted by Napoleon, and gradually the family secured its position among the leading noble families in Italy. In Milan the new Viscontis maintained their high status by becoming patrons of the arts, particularly opera. Luchino Visconti's parents, don Giuseppe and donna Carla, belonged to the circle of King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Helen. Don Giuseppe became a gentleman-in-waiting to Queen Helen, and the children of the royal family and of the Viscontis sometimes went riding together.