An article about Aimone di Savoia, the new Duke of Aosta, with some weird twists to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina ("Padre Pio"):
Most of the Italian monarchists, especially the Italian Monarchical Union (U.M.I.), would like to see him as King of Italy. And in fact, for Aimone di Savoia, son of Amedeo and Claudia d’Orléans, born in Florence on 13 October 1967, there is a not insignificant prophecy. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina ("Padre Pio") would have made a prophecy, many years ago to Princess Maria José, then Princess of Piedmont. The princess had gone to visit Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo in an atmosphere full of tensions on the eve of the outbreak of the Second World War. The Capuchin friar had foretold the Princess the fall of the monarchy. But he also predicted that a King would return in Italy, in the years to come, a prince from the another branch of the House of Savoy.
And so it was easy for the monarchists of UMI, the Association chaired by a young and brilliant Neapolitan lawyer, Alessandro Sacchi, to identify in Prince Aimone di Savoia-Aosts, the man of the prophecy of the humble Capuchin who inflames the hearts and minds of millions of Catholics in Italy and in the world.
The Savoia-Aosta family, the Dukes of Aosta as they are commonly identified, is, in fact a branch of the House of Savoy that descends from Amedeo di Savoia, Duke of Aosta. He was the third son of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first King of Italy. For two years Amedeo was King of Spain. The Aosta branch has distinguished over time through the multifaceted commitment of extraordinary personalities, from Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Commander of the IIIrd Army, qualified as "undefeated" in the Victory Bulletin of November 4, 1918, to Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, twice circumnavigator of the globe , daring climber (Monte Sant'Elia, Ruwenzori, K2), participant in the expedition to the North Pole, colonizer of Somalia, to Prince Amedeo heroic defender of Amba Alagi, to Prince Aimone, King of Croatia with the name of Tomislav II, father of Amedeo, the current Duke of Aosta and therefore grandfather of Prince Aimone.
Like many modern princes not engaged in an institutional role, Prince Aimone works in a large industrial company, Pirelli, as CEO of the Russian branch and is based in Moscow. Graduated in economics from Bocconi, Prince Aimone enrolled, like his father Prince Amedeo, as cadet of the Naval College Francesco Morosini in Venice. He fullfilled the naval academy and, as an officer of the general staff, was embarked on the Maestrale, a frigate of the Italian Navy engaged in the operations of the Gulf War.
After graduating and a period of specialization at J.P. Morgan & Co., Prince Aimone worked in the marketing sector of the Rinascente Group and the Merloni Group. In 1994 he moved to Russia, Moscow to work with the Tripcovich Trading Company. In 2000 he was hired by the Pirelli group within which he held the position of general manager responsible for the market in Russia and all the countries of the former Soviet Union. In 2006 he was vice president of the Association of Italian companies in Russia, Gim-Unimpresa, an aggregate partner of Confindustria. Since 1 July 2012 he has been CEO of Pirelli Tyre Nordic, responsible for all markets in the Scandinavian countries, and, since 1 September 2013, he has been responsible for Pirelli Tilyre in Russia and the Nordic countries region.
Related to the royal families of Greece, Denmark, Bulgaria, Romania, the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Russia, Prince Aimone di Savoia-Aosta, who speaks fluent English, French, Spanish and Russian, has been married since 2008 to Princess Olga of Greece. He has three children: Umberto (Paris 7 March 2009), Prince of Piedmont, Amedeo (Paris, 24 May 2011), Duke of the Abruzzi, Isabella, (Paris, 14 December 2012), Princess Royal.
The Italian monarchists hope for the prophecy of Saint Pio and look with confidence at the bas-relief of the sculptor Cesarino Vincenti in the crypt where, until some time ago, the body of the Holy Capuchin rested. The work depicts the Holy Family surrounded by a group of people: the Madonna with the Child Jesus on her lap and St. Joseph. Before the Holy Family is Padre Pio, holding a lamb in his arms. A group of young men and a girl kneeling in front. All are represented in traditional clothes, except Padre Pio himself, with the Franciscan habit, and one of the boys portrayed in modern ceremonial dress. He has the appearance of Aimone of Savoy and wears the collar of the Annunziata that King Umberto II gave to prince Aimone when he was 15 years old. Title of the work: "Beauty and royalty surround you".
For Alessandro Sacchi and for those who adhere to the Italian Monarchical Union, there is no doubt that the man in the bas-relief is Aimone di Savoia, the prince who he would like to see King of Italy, to revive the tree of the ancient dynasty, after King Umberto II, the unfortunate King who saved Italy after a referendum with a more than doubtful outcome, accepted because "a King belongs to everyone and does not reign with 51 percent", as Sacchi recalls with a smile between sadness and hope.
E' l'uomo della profezia di San Pio da Pietrelcina? I cinquant'anni di Aimone di Savoia duca d'Aosta, un manager pretendente al trono d'Italia
