The Tamesis
Yesterday I arrived in Rome to attend the funeral of Valentino, who died this morning, Monday 19th January. The sun was shining and the air was fresh, so I wandered in the direction of the Spanish Steps, because it was there, in Via Gregoriana, that many months ago I first inspected Valentino’s haute couture salons.
Walking up the steps, I saw the magnificent Palazzo Barberini, where last year, Valentino’s long-term partner Giancarlo Giammatti hosted a dinner to celebrate the first show of the Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation. It is in its magnificent rooms, along the endless staircase, that the charming Baroque style of Pietro da Cortona is located. sacred providenza The ceiling had been successfully painted and once I had seen this amazing piece of art I set off to explore the Spanish Steps and Via Gregoriana.
But something seems to have happened in Piazza Mignanelli, which is now crisscrossed by fences. Miracle! Valentino’s remains would remain until that evening, so I joined the crowd of mourners who wanted to pay their respects to him, wandering through the square with the best of them. After entering the foundation, surrounded by a forest of white flowers and devout people walking quietly by, I was struck by the intensity of it all. His coffin was surrounded by ropes and placed in an apse-like space, with rows of chairs on either side behind the ropes. Valentino’s last companion, Bruce Hoeksema, stood up to greet me, and I sat with him and some other dear friends for about an hour. As we left, I was delighted to see that people had left dozens of bouquets of white flowers on or under nearby windows – among all the white flowers there was a gorgeous bouquet of lilacs and lilacs. Wonderful touch.
During the funeral, in the magnificent Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels and Martyrs, frescoed cherubs looked down on the inlaid marble floors and ceilings pointing toward heaven. And there are flowers! So many white flowers. I sat in the front row, next to Anna and Donatella, and I was deeply moved. Pierpaolo Piccioli, Philip Treacy, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Anna Fendi, Delfina Delettrez Fendi, Tom Ford and Alessandro Michele were all present. Marissa Berenson was moved and held my hand – a tribute to the master.
Photo: Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti/Anadolu/Getty Images
I arrived an hour early to soak up the excitement, but Anna and Donatella arrived late. (It was strange to see Ana in black during the day, which startled me.) Donatella and her daughter Allegra sat next to me. “Valentino is the King of Rome,” Donatella whispered in my ear, and she was right. Anne Hathaway was there with her husband Adam Shulman – she was close to Valentino, traveling on his boat and being escorted for one amazing night after another.
Finally, Giancarlo arrived. Then the voices of angels begin to sing, the priest in purple vestments arrives, and a full Catholic ceremony begins. Let me tell you: it’s amazing if you’re not used to it.
