Nunziatella military academy

History

The originating military institutes

The origins of the Nunziatella Military Academy should be traced back to the work of reorganization of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Naples, advocated by the statesman Bernardo Tanucci and implemented by Charles of Bourbon. Under his guidance was in fact identified for the first time the need to create ad hoc institutions for the training of officers of various specialties: this initiative was necessary to free the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from subjection to the Kingdom of Spain, ruled by Philip V of Spain, father of Charles, and to limit the ambitions of his mother Elisabetta Farnese.

The initiative of Charles of Bourbon had its first result in the foundation of the Real Academia de los Guardias Estendartes de las Galeras (December 5, 1735), devoted to the training of naval officers: this institution, which has the primacy of the oldest Navy Academy in Italy, was initially housed in a building of the docks area in Naples, but then moved, after only two months, in the Palazzo Trotti, in the immediate vicinity of the royal palace of Naples and the Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit, in the area later occupied by the palace of the Prefecture.

After a brief and not very profitable experience of a military school, located in the Maddalena town district, it was founded the Academy of Artillery (1745), for whose organization was called the mathematician Nicola Antonio De Martino, who was serving in Spain as Embassy secretary. The new Academy was installed in the Palace of Panatica, in Saint Lucia town district, and provided with a solid educational program, both theoretical and practical: there were, in fact, taught mathematics, physics, design and fencing, while the practical exercises were carried out at Molosiglio, in the docks area and at Fort Vigliena. The students were officers and cadets of the Academy of Artillery, for which attendance was mandatory; officers and cadets of other specialties, and noblemen who had passed an entrance examination were also admitted to the class. In accordance with the guidelines of the time, the programs of the Academy were specifically focused on math and science. The same Charles of Bourbon stated in the edict for the academy's founding that, "Albeit we have with any of our other royal orders and instructions provided specifically trained to make full use of our subjects sull'onorevole militia, although not of wherein in less expedient for the preservation of our states, the shine and the glory of our arms, the body of the militia remains Yea well disciplined and taught in mathematics, science which principally depend on the math and science of our rulers."

The foundation

Parisi, in his reforms, changed the site from the buildings and convents of the Panatica Palace to the site of the Jesuit novitiate of Pizzofalcone. The complex was built thanks to the generous donations of noblewomen Anna Mendoza, Marchioness della Valle and Countess of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, and Delia Sanseverino, Countess of Briatico. The donation was 19,500 ducats, divided in twelve years. The novitiate was opened on 8 September 1587, and had greeted the seminarians previously housed the novitiate of Nola. Along with the former seminary, they were granted an architectural jewel of the Neapolitan Baroque, the attached Church of the Nunziatella, so called to distinguish it from the larger Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata. Built in 1588, the church had been heavily remodeled in 1736 by the Ferdinando Sanfelice; and embellished with frescoes by Francesco De Mura, Paolo De Matteis, Ludovico Mazzanti and Pacecco De Rosa, as well as the splendid altar built by Giuseppe Sammartino.

The Nunziatella Military Academy was founded November 18, 1787 with the name of Royal Military Academy, by a special order of king Ferdinand IV. This document contained guidelines for the education of the students, in particular calling on officers and instructors to attend to "... the knowledge of the temperaments, inclinations and aptitudes of the students in order to be able to stimulate curiosity and increase the attention, talents and faculties, and finally, instilling in them a capacity for judgment". Similarly, it was felt necessary to introduce students to "mathematics ... and to firm up philosophical reasoning in young people and prepare them for the professions of science and to train them in the consciousness of their duties and the social and political system."

The first commander-in-chief of the Academy was Domenico della Leonessa, Marquis of Supino, who by a decree of 28 May 1787 was appointed by Minister John Acton and promoted to Field Marshal. Traditionally, however, the real flowering of Nunziatella is traced to the appointment in 1794 of Giuseppe Parisi as commander; the street where the school is located is still named after him.

La Nunziatella was quickly recognized as a major military academy, and Giuseppe Maria Galanti writes in 1792:

The way youth is educated here has no equals in the whole of Europe. No philosophy, patriottism, experience could have either conceived or built a nobler institution for growing character, reason, heart and every knowledge needed by soldiers.

The Neapolitan Republic (1799)

A few years after its foundation, the Nunziatella would be impacted by the reverberations of the French Revolution. The Neapolitan King Ferdinand IV was a Bourbon relative of the French king Louis XVI, while his wife Maria Carolina of Austria was Marie-Antoinette's sister. The level of police awareness against Jacobins' activities sharply rose, while the latter increased their attempts to influence the Neapolitan Army's commanding personnel: their aim was, indeed, to make military to support a revolt and pull the king out of his throne for building a Republic like in France.

Some of the professors of the Nunziatella began to spread Jacobin ideas among the cadets. For example, Annibale Giordano, had been arrested in the past in 1784, and deprived of his post of Chemistry teacher. The Maths teacher Carlo Lauberg and his colleagues Clino Roselli (fortifications teacher), Pasquale Baffi (Hellenist), Michele Granata (philosopher and mathematician) and Giustino Fortunato senior, as members of the Società Patriottica, were accused of voicing Republican ideals.

By 1798, French Republican armies had occupied the Papal States, exiling Pope Pius VI. On November 28, the Neapolitan government moved in arms against the fledgling Roman Republic, defeating opponents and coming to the reconquest of Rome in six days. However, this victory was short-lived, since by December 24, 1798, French troops commanded by General Jean Etienne Championnet defeated the Neapolitan Bourbon troops in the battle of Civita Castellana and forced them back to Naples. King Ferdinand fled by sea in Sicily, leaving the administration of the continental territories of the Kingdom to the regency of Francesco Pignatelli. In mid-January 1799, an armistice was signed between the French troops and representatives of the government of Naples; however, this was immediately rejected by "Lazzaroni" who found that a betrayal: this component of the Neapolitan people barricaded himself in defense of the city, by requisitioning the numerous weapons found in the city deposits.

Virtually all military units allocated in Naples suffered the seizure of weapons, but not the Nunziatella. Jacobin propaganda among the students, meant they sided with the republican revolutionaries during this riots. Under the command of Captain Pasquale Galluzzo, they repelled an assault of lazzari. At the end of the 18th century, most of the Nunziatella's professors were linked to the Freemasonry (among them: Granata and Baffi, as well as Giordano and Lauberg).

The first Restoration (1800-1805)

Reduced formally to male boarding school for orphans military (in fact they were really few), the Nunziatella regained the title of Royal Military Academy thanks to the work of its Commander, Captain Giuseppe Saverio Poli. On 1 December 1802 the new name became operational and Poli was promoted to lieutenant colonel in accordance with the new assignment. Two years later Poli managed to obtain the Nunziatella to be granted the status of "university", which opened the possibility reception of external students (elementary school children) to which he taught literature and mathematics, assisted by other officers and two Priests for the teaching of catechism.

The presence at Nunziatella of Poli, a distinguished physicist and malacologist would become the tutor of Francis I of the Two Sicilies, was also important for the strong impetus given to the endowment of the Physics Laboratory. Partly borrowed from that of the old Battaglione Real Ferdinando, it was equipped with all the latest equipment, so as to make it "(that) more complete and respectable (...) in Naples".

The French decade (1806-1815)

The conquest of the Kingdom by Napoleonic troops as part of the Austro-Neapolitan War, caused the loss of the rank and employment by Poli, who was reinstated at the end of 1810 with the rank of lieutenant and the appointment of library guardian. The captains employed to cadets' direction (Galileo Giuseppe Pasquali, Gaetano Ruiz, Andrea and Pasquale Galluzzo Colnago) maintained however rank and functions until 1812, when they were removed.

The new Murat regime had resulted in the reorganization of the Neapolitan armed forces and the reform also involved training institutions. Consequently, the Nunziatella suppressed as a military college; nevertheless it remained active in the building of Pizzofalcone as a school of theoretical and practical artillery, which served as a point of leverage for the reopening of the college. Interior Minister André-François Miot asked the inspector general of artillery Giuseppe Fonseca Chavez to submit a project dedicated to that end: the plan, presented May 10, 1806, proposed Nunziatella to be the only recruitment institute for the four Armies, like it was before 1799. Giuseppe Parisi himself wrote a project draft for Fonseca, proposing a "decree on the formation of the Military Academy." Under the new system they would be admitted to the Nunziatella 160 students aged 11 to 14 and 60 day students 15 years of age. The management would be guaranteed by 62 employees (24 officers, three administrative, 2 priests, 4 health, 19 professors and 10 masters), waiters, sergeants, Trabants and 10 horses. A total of 50 among the students would be selected for the school of application of artillery and engineering.

Parisi's proposal was seconded by the one prepared by Vito Caravelli, a former professor of Nunziatella, that through Parisi transmitted it to the minister of war Mathieu Dumas, establishing school programs for science, design, Italian, French, English and practical training.

Accepted all suggestions, on the following 1 September Dumas wrote to Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples, to propose "the temporary formation of a military school with 4/500 ducats per month, being only to pay the full wages of the professors of the ancient academy that (they were already) at half wage. " Dumas motivated further its proposal, emphasizing the need to train students for the armies of genius, artillery and Bridges' service and the opportunity offered from the building of the Nunziatella, which already housed a library and allowed the opening four days a week for both the French officers and the Neapolitans.

The second Restoration (1816-1854)

For Nunziatella the period of the Second Restoration was a time of great cultural fervor, thanks to the arrival of some of the most qualified teachers of the time. Mariano d'Ayala, then first lieutenant and former student of the Nunziatella until 1828, was called in September 1837 to hold the post of instructor of ballistic and descriptive geometry. Once in the chair in place of major Niola (later instructor Francis II of the Two Sicilies) and thanks to the protection of Carlo Filangieri, Ayala strived to transfer to cadets the ideas taught in other countries Europeans. Far from being a purely theoretical exercise, the action of Ayala also expressed by building a relationship of great closeness to his students. This had a profound influence on the students of the time (which included Carlo Pisacane, Enrico Cosenz, Giuseppe Virgili and Salvatore Medina), and was the channel through which Ayala transferred to them his own ideas about the necessity of Italian unification.

The methods of teaching the young officer did not fail to worry the commander of the Nunziatella, major Michele Nocerino, who he reported to King Ferdinand II. When asking what happened, the king faced the defense of Filangieri, who convinced him not only to let go of Ayala in his work, but to accuse and to dismiss the commander Nocerino, who was succeeded by Colonel Francesco Antonio Winspeare.

The work of Ayala continued for another four years after this incident, during which, in addition to continuing to propagate the unitaristic ideals among students, merited a note of praise for leading with skill drills to the field of Capua and published the famous "Lessons of artillery", that contained the most advanced notions of time in the field, dedicated "To the beloved students".

Ayala's career was cut short in 1843 by accident. In that year was published an issue of Iris, a publication which contained among others a paper by Basilio Puoti. This paper scandalized a princess because of his licentious character and she took the newspaper his father Ferdinand II because he intervened. Withholding the publication to become more aware of it, the kingalso read a paper by Ayala, who under the guise of a historical narrative concealed apology of Joachim Murat and his attempt to regain the Kingdom. Irritated and mindful of the warnings of the deposed captain Nocerino, Ferdinand II summoned Carlo Filangieri and this time attacked him and to notify that would remove the teacher. Attempts defense by Filangieri came to no avail, especially as its recommendation to Ayala to make amends and ask forgiveness of the king did not produce effect, as he preferred to resign on Aug. 3, 1843.

The transfer to Maddaloni (1855–1859)

The revolutionary movements of 1848 marked a break point in the policy of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and in particular on the training of managerial staff of the army. The attempt at revolution had in fact demonstrated how necessary to provide not only an appropriate number of officers to the Army, but also to prevent them, as usually volitional boys and sensitive to liberal propaganda, could be adversely affected by Piedmontese agents. For this reason and despite the opposition of the relatives of the students, most of whom resided in Naples, on April 27, 1855, resolved the transfer of the Nunziatella in Maddaloni, at the palace of the Dukes Carafa. This new location, in the intentions of the sovereign, would ensure the greater controllability of the students, thanks to the proximity of Maddaloni to the Royal Palace of Caserta.

Exile in Maddaloni lasted until Ferdinand II was alive, while the ascent to the throne of Francis II of the Two Sicilies, of a completely different temperament than his father, offered the occasion to those who advocated the return of the institute in the capital to do another attempt. Carlo Filangieri, was among the leading opponents of the transfer of the Nunziatella in Maddaloni and was in the forefront in putting pressure on the young king because it would put an end to expulsion of the institute from Naples. Arguing that attempts of troublemakers were present in both big cities, and in small towns, Filangieri was finally able to get it to be a date for the return, decided to 7 September 1859. The news was received with great jubilation by students, and was even staged a comeback in solemn form, with celebratory banquets and thanksgiving masses. The news of such effusions of joy reached and upset the king, who was staying at the Royal Palace of Portici, urging him to send a telegram in the late afternoon of September 6, which canceled the transfer order. To the protests of Filangieri, Francis II replied with another telegram, in which he deplored the excessive displays of joy that were planned and ordered the postponement of the transfer. As per provisions of the King, the students spent the 7th on the road, having lunch at the Bridges of the Valley and returning to the city without further celebrations.

In this period were some Nunziatella alumni played an important role in the history of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In particular, Giuseppe Ghio was in command of the troops who in 1857 stopped in Padula the revolutionist Carlo Pisacane, another Nunziatella former student. The ill-fated expedition of Pisacane, that the intention was supposed to trigger the uprising of Cilento, was the inspiration for the famous poem La spigolatrice di Sapri by Luigi Mercantini.

The fall of the Two Sicilies (1860–1861)

Events related to Mille expedition and the subsequent invasion of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies by the Armata Sarda saw former students of the Nunziatella on both sides of the battle.

Among the protagonists of the Bourbon side, Ferdinando Beneventano del Bosco was engaged in fighting in Sicily subsequent to the landing of Garibaldi's troops. He engaged the enemy troops after the Battle of Calatafimi, forcing them to divert to Corleone before moving to Palermo. After the occupation of the latter by the Garibaldi troops, he launched an assault on the city, and he was stopped only by the news of the truce signed by Giuseppe Garibaldi with General Lanza. Then he held the fortress of Milazzo up to the order of capitulation, and later he fought during the Siege of Gaeta and led several legitimist attempts after the fall of the Two Sicilies. The aforementioned Giuseppe Ghio was responsible for the surrender without a fight of about 12,000 men of the Army of Two Sicilies in Soveria Mannelli. This episode, which opened the doors to Garibaldi in Naples, probably led him to be murdered there a few years later.

Among the alumni on the Bourbon side which died during the invasion by Piedmont has to be remembered Brigadier Matteo Negri, which fell during the Battle of Garigliano and was buried with a solemn ceremony in Cathedral of Saints Erasmus and Marciano and Santa Maria Assunta by order of the king Francis II. While in command of its troops and although wounded several times, he continued to give orders and to encourage his men, until, after allowing for all Bourbon forces to cross the river in the direction of Gaeta, he died in his place.

During the siege of Gaeta fell Lieutenant Colonel Paolo de Sangro Prince of Sansevero, grandson of Raimondo de Sangro: seriously injured following the explosion of the Cittadella battery, he died shortly after. In the same blast was also killed Lt. Gen. Francesco Traversa another Nunziatella alumnus.

Also many students of Nunziatella left the School and participated in the fighting on the side of the Army of the Two Sicilies. Their presence on the front of the fire was a result of the events related to the departure of Francis II of Naples: the commander Muratti, immediately switched to the side of Garibaldi, and imposed the oath of allegiance to the students who wanted to remain in the institute.

The Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)

Upon the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, with the surrender of the fortress of Civitella, 3,684 officers were on active duty in the army. Of these 341 artillery officers and 215 Engineering officers came from the Nunziatella.

Although it had proved, since its inception, to be a "seedbed of good specialist officers", the Nunziatella followed the fate of so many institutions of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and by decree of Victor Emmanuel II of 4 May 1861 it was transformed from academia to military school of the Army: this operation provided that it was intended to prepare young people for life weapons, in view of their admission to the Academy of artillery and engineering of Turin and at the School of Infantry and Cavalry of Modena. The new regulations of the renamed Military College of Naples was established by a decree of 6 April 1862 and provided for the admission of boys between thirteen and sixteen who had completed his high school studies. The total number of students was fixed at a maximum value of 250 units.

Among others, Congressman Giuseppe Ricciardi in 1861 complained in Parliament that act, by inserting it into a broader discontent for the abolition of other cultural institutions Neapolitan; and a few years later, in 1870, was the former student and professor Mariano d'Ayala to fight in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy against the new threat of suppression.

Nevertheless, the Nunziatella made a major contribution to the training of managerial staff of the Army, so that the three former students Enrico Cosenz (1882–1893), Domenico Primerano (1893–1896) and Alberto Pollio (1908–1914) they were respectively the first, second and fourth Army Chief of Staff.

The attitude of distrust of senior management against the former army of the Two Sicilies and the Nunziatella went through was mitigated over the years, so much so that in 1881 the fifteen-years-old designated heir to the throne of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele III, was admitted as a Nunziatella student. The king always retained a strong attachment to the Nunziatella and participated personally in the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of its foundation.

Colonial wars

The latter part of the nineteenth century, and similar to what already done by other European powers, the Kingdom of Italy was engaged in a colonial policy that saw this long in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The colonial period saw alumni participate in operations in Africa and among the fallen in this period remembers the captain Andrea De Benedictis, was killed in 1887 during the battle of Dogali; and on 26 January 1891 a plaque was dedicated to him in the Great Courtyard of the Nunziatella. This period was also of great importance for the history of the school, mainly as a result of the disastrous Battle of Adwa on 1 March 1896: it was during this fight, in fact, that was assigned to a former student the first gold medal for military valor after the Italian unification. The artillery captain Eduardo Bianchini, son of the eminent economist of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Luigi Bianchini, sacrificed himself in place with its mountain battery to allow the Italian main force to fold in front of the enemy offensive from Adwa.

The disaster of Adwa had significant consequences not only on the national political level (Prime Minister Francesco Crispi was forced to resign) but also on the attitude of the population towards the military life. Despite the presence in the body of teachers personality which included Camillo De Nardis, Michelangelo Schipa and Agesilao Greco, the number of applications for admission to the Nunziatella, like other military training institutions, experienced a steep fall. The bleeding was such that in 1898 students were reduced to just seventy-six, two hundred less than the period in which he had frequented Vittorio Emanuele III, and it was even proposed the elimination of the institute.

To counteract the trend it was tried to make the school more attractive by taking a first reorganization of the studies, promulgated by decree of October 19, 1896, followed by a second reorganization of 20 May 1908. If the first initiative did not produce significant results, the Depending served instead in order: in it for the first time abolished the requirement for students to pursue a career in the military academy and opened the possibility of attending civil university instead. The reform was intended to form, in addition to future military cadres, citizens as well, that while occupying high positions in the future in civilian life, would have retained a strong link with the military environment, thus functioning as a bond with the nation. The number of students grew steadily to over three hundred units on the eve of the First World War.

First World War (1915–1918)

In 1913 the role of the Nunziatella as an educational institution for the elite military cadres was renewed by the enrollment of the Prince Amedeo of Savoy Aosta: this event caused the School Command to build a network of formality around the young prince, who instead quickly unraveled it, establishing an equal relationship with his classmates. At the outbreak of the First World War, Prince Amedeo requested and received permission to enlist as a private in the Horse Artillery Regiment "Voloire" and fought on the front of the Carso.

Besides Amedeo d'Aosta, many other alumni participated in the First World War on the Italian front, sometimes playing important roles in the war fortunes: among them are notable Pasquale Oro, Giuseppe Pennella and Antonino Di Giorgio. The first, as Commander in Chief of the 34th Division Alpini, was committed to the defense of the Asiago Plateau and fought in contrast to the Austro-Hungarian Strafexpedition; he blocked the enemy, and counter-attacked on the slopes of the Pasubio, thus marking decisively the tide of war. The second, the former Commander of Grenadiers of Sardinia, when in command of the 8th Army was the protagonist of the battles of the Solstice and Vittorio Veneto. The third, major general, commander of the 51st Division in Valsugana, while in Rome was reached by the news of the disaster of Caporetto and immediately left to Udine and took command of the Special Army Corps rapidly formed, which led bucking the stream of stragglers retreating from Caporetto; by engaging strongly the Austro-Germans allowed the main force of Italian to escape; and he was the last general to cross the Piave with his men on the morning of November 9, 1917. After the war, he became Minister of War and entrepreneur in his native Sicily.

Among the former students involved in the First World War, eight gained the gold medal for military valor. In this regard, they have to be remembered general Gabriele Berardi, commander of the Sassari Brigade, Umberto Cerboni and Eduardo Suarez, whose names were immortalized on Mount Pasubio in the so-called Street of Heroes; the young Nicola Nisco and Maurizio De Vito Piscicelli and Filippo Zuccarello. Also decorated the highest award for military valor, Ildebrando Goiran and Gaetano Carolei instead survived the conflict, achieving high grades in military and civilian life.

On April 21, 1920, in the entrance hall of the school was located a rock of the Venetian Alps surmounted by an eagle and a flag, in memory of all former students who died during the war. It bears the engraved inscription:

Fascism

The gradual militarization of society Italian fostered by the fascist regime of course also affected the Nunziatella. To the institute, as much as to the Military College in Rome and the one in Milan (restored in 1935 but closed in 1943), it was dedicated great attention in view of the expansionistic objectives that the regime and the Crown were devising. Of course, this approach did not admit any deformity in the opinions of those who had responsibility in the education of young students: the professor of literature and philosophy Floriano del Secolo, signatory of the Manifesto of the Anti-Fascist Intellectuals, was dismissed from his post in 1925 for refusing to swear allegiance to the Fascist Party.

In 1933 the Nunziatella received from his former cadet Victor Emmanuel III the honor to bear the motto Victoriae Regem dedit (Gave the King of the Victory), which obviously alluded to the attendance of the institute by the king himself. In that period, as in all institutions of basic military training, Nunziatella cadets were made obliged to pursuing careers in the Military Academies, thus restoring the rule prior to the 1908 reform. On 25 April 1934 the Prince of Piedmont Umberto of Savoy gave the Nunziatella the labarum, equalized to war flag; a few months later, on November 18, it was celebrated the 150th anniversary of its foundation, during a solemn ceremony that saw the participation of the king and the heir to the throne. The military deployment, in addition to cadets Battalion, was formed by several former cadets (including many classmates of Vittorio Emanuele III) under the command of Lieutenant-General Carlo Perris, the highest-ranking among those present.

Among the alumni of notice from this period worth mentioning Angelo Gatti, who was appointed a member of the Academy of Italy in 1937; Federico Baistrocchi was Chief of Staff of the Royal Army from 1 October 1934 to 7 October 1936, and Senator. Alberto De Marinis Stendardo di Ricigliano, Brigadier General, was a senator and Minister of the Kingdom of Italy; General of Army Corps and senators were also Carlo Perris, Guido Guidotti and Armando Tallarigo.

World War II

The events of World War II also interested gradually the city of Naples, therefore involving students of the Nunziatella. Initially of low intensity, the Allied air raids had in a first period no other consequences on the lives of cadets than to force them to take refuge in an underground shelter in the underlying Chiatamone street. After the disastrous bombing of 4 December 1942 that left more than 500 victims in the city and after 15 December 1942 and 1 January 1943 ones, it was decided, however, to transfer the cadets. The school was moved from March to December 30, 1943, in Benevento, and hosted in the building later seat of the city hospital; this displacement was of great harm to the Nunziatella, since for the looting carried out by German troops in Benevento was lost almost all of the material transported there, except for of the physics laboratory and warehouse assets, which had remained in Naples.

Although most of the staff went to Benevento with the cadets, in Naples there was a handful of officers and professors led by Professor Francesco Caruso. It was thanks to these few that it was possible to maintain a presence inside the building, which would have passed through difficult times after the Allied occupation.

During the conflict and in the aftermath, the alumni were committed as ever in the most senior positions in the military hierarchy and politics. Vittorio Ambrosio, former chief of staff of the Army, was chief of the General Staff; Antonio Sorice instead held the post of Minister of War in the Badoglio government, succeeded by Taddeo Orlando, lately the Commander-in-Chief of the Carabinieri.

A large number of former students fought on all fronts of the ongoing conflict and many victims were counted. Twenty-three of them deserved the gold medal for military valor, falling on the field and being protagonist in important moments of collective Italian memory. In particular, Amedeo di Savoia-Aosta was protagonist of the heroic Italian resistance during the second battle of Amba Alagi; Antonio Cianciullo and Alfredo Sandulli Mercuro were among the victims of the massacre of Kefalonia; Alberto Bechi Luserna was the star of the second battle of El Alamein; Roberto Lordi and Romeo Rodriguez Pereira were among the fallen of the Fosse Ardeatine; Luigi Tandura participated in the Italian Resistance as partisan of Osoppo Brigades. Among those who survived the conflict they are to remember Luigi Pecora, who participated in the fighting of the Four Days of Naples and Giuseppe Izzo, the protagonist of the second battle of El Alamein and the War of Liberation.

The Italian Republic (1946-present)

The Nunziatella was the training school for Vittorio Emanuele III and Amedeo d'Aosta and then was seen as an expression of the monarchical and fascist regime. The work of contact with the High Allied Command under the auspices of the former student Vittorio Ambrosio, had the effect to prevent its closure, but in heavy conditions: the institution was downgraded to high school boarding civil students. They were forced to take lessons in confined spaces, while most of the building was occupied by a British command and troops from Palestina.

After the conclusion of World War II the conditions of surrender of the Kingdom of Italy had a strong impact on the armed forces of the country: these were, in fact, subject to a number of heavy layoffs and limitations, such as the prohibition of building aircraft carriers and demobilization of several departments. Even training institutions of the newborn Italian Army were affected by this policy, so that the military schools in Rome and Milan were suppressed. Even the Nunziatella risked closure but professors, officers and alumni of the School made common cause, raising a strong protest movement that also involved the public Neapolitan was placed strong emphasis on the ancient and glorious roots of the institute by the Bourbons forward and one of the professors, Francesco Caruso, came to rally the undersecretary of defense Mario Palermo, a former student of the course 1914–1917, with the phrase: "Would you have the courage to sign the decree on the abolition of the Military College, with so many glories in his bright past, where you yourself were educated? Well, the Nunziatella must not die!". The commander Oliviero Prunas sought and obtained to be received by Umberto II, before whom shouted "Majesty, the Nunziatella must live." Made a commitment to do everything possible to put the school in a position to operate, Prunas began traveling all Italy with some military trucks, and collecting as many military materials and life commodities could be useful to the life of the institution.

The courses of the Nunziatella in Naples resumed on 1 February 1944, but with many mutilations with respect to the past. During the years 1944–45 both officials that cadets dressed civilian clothes, and then switched to a momentary black uniform during 1945–46. In 1946 the khaki uniform was restored instead, which was eventually replaced by the traditional historical uniform in 1954. On 1 September 1949, the Nunziatella regained the name of the Military College of Naples and the next May 24, 1950 saw the return of the school flag during a ceremony at the Diaz square, in Francesco Caracciolo street. In 1953 the name changed again in the final "Nunziatella" Military School.

Nunziatella today

The "Nunziatella" Military School can be attended only by students who have completed two years of either humanistic or scientific high school. Admission is by competition, which consists of medical, aptitude, athletic test and cultural examinations on the study subjects of the first two years of high school. The course of study at the school is completed with the achievement of baccalaureate and includes, in addition to academic subjects that are common to these high schools, also training courses aimed at a military career.

Military activities are carried out during the school year through special training in "weapons theory and practice", "military law" and other disciplines of the same area. At the end of each year of study, students also attend a weapon drill camp at some operative unit of the armed forces (for example at the Alpine training center of Aosta or 186º Parachute Regiment "Folgore" of Siena) to acquire practical elements of combat training, including the frequency of sessions at the shooting range with the individual weapon (rifle Beretta AR 70/90 supplied to the Italian armed forces, while for the parade activities it is still used the rifle M1 Carbine).

Particularly rich is the sports training that allows cadets to practice horse riding, fencing, swimming, athletics, boxing, basketball, volleyball and other sports. The Nunziatella is, along with the Morosini, the institution with the most wins at the inter-school Military Sports Games, an event where students of the four Italian military schools are measured on all sports.

The commander of the school (a colonel in the Italian Army) is also the dean of the institute. The recruitment of teachers is by competition, whose basic requirement is to be a confirmed professor at a high school.

After graduating, alumni can continue training in the military by applying for admission at all the Academies of the Italian armed forces, where is reserved for them a share of the available positions. Alternatively, those who want to pursue a military career can continue their training process at the university.

Alumni use to gather at the oath of the new cadets, which usually takes place on November 18 of each year (Nunziatella's foundation anniversary), in Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples.

Awards

Military awards

"And as in all human things the facts explain better than any theory from which they come, we have to say that living by the rules expertly dictated by Parisi, it came out of those walls the most beautiful flower of noble youth, which, well accustomed to all manner of doctrine, came soon after with a reputation for bravery"

(Mariano d'Ayala, Napoli militare, 1847)

On 29 November 2007 to the Flag of the School was awarded the Bronze Medal of Army Valor with the following citation:

"Prestigious training institute whose values are based on the ancient roots of more than two centuries of incessant activity, constantly working with the sublime spirit of sacrifice and honor never tarnished by the succession of historical events. Forge of noble minds, it carried out an irreplaceable teaching action and example for many young people there trained, with a profound awareness of civil society, to the life and weapons. It was clear testimony illustrious alumni who, with deep love of country, honored themselves and Italy. The heritage of sacrifice and glory offered to the country by the students of the "Nunziatella", exalted by two decorated the Military Order of Italy, 38 gold medals for Valour and numerous silver and bronze medals for Valour, sealed the high educational value and the very high institutional contribution. Shining example of the spirit of service to the Country, the Military School "Nunziatella" bore out the luster enjoyed and helped to raise the prestige of the Armed Forces in joint and national level". Naples, 1787-2007"

On November 17, 2012, the Flag of the institute was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit of the Carabinieri with the following citation:

"Ancient and prestigious training institute of the Italian Army, elected guardian of military virtues, preparing for life and weapons generations of young people, educating them to the cult of duty and honor. In its centuries-long history, the Military School Nunziatella rooted the fruitful seed of the unconditional love of country and of the highest ethical values in the ranks of students placed themselves at the service of the common good in the ranks of the Carabinieri, and offered unparalleled tests unquestioned loyalty and admirable courage, witnessed by countless individual awards including five gold medals for Valour. Forge of minds and generous source of the noblest virtues, the Nunziatella is ideal reference for young minds and deserved the unanimous applause of the national community, thus helping to enhance the prestige of the Carabinieri and the armed forces. Naples, 1787-2012"

Civil awards

The Nunziatella was awarded the following international recognition as an institution:

"Historical and cultural heritage of the Mediterranean countries" with the following citation: "For the role played in the last three centuries in the field of higher education, such as academic, social and economic development engine for Italy and for all the Mediterranean countries linked to it".

Mediterranean Institutions Award 2012 with the following motivation: "To have prepared 225 years, generations of the Young to "Life and Weapons", constituting an intangible heritage of humanity rooted in the history and life of the City of Naples, Italy. The Nunziatella military school is an educational excellence in the Mediterranean and in the World that places ethics and a system of values at the heart of the training of young people, destined to play a vital role in the social life of the future."

Nunziatella was donated to December 13, 2012 the Bell of Duty on the initiative of the Province of Latina: the bell was built in memory and recognition of Enrico Cosenz, alumnus and former Chief of Staff of the Army, born in Gaeta. The bell is stained with scenes of the defense of Venice, in which Cosenz participated with another former student Guglielmo Pepe and Daniele Manin; it also bears the coat of arms and the motto of the school and that of the Province of Latina.

Coat of arms

The blazon of the official coat of arms is as follows:

"Fine: the first gold of the foal cheerful black; in the second of the red-skinned hand coming out of the right, holding a dagger of silver manicata gold mail post, resting on an open book to the natural; the blue band, on the partition, loaded from three cornflowers gold.

The turreted crown is of gold."

A golden ribbon, under the shield of the list, bears the motto I prepare to life and weapons.

Symbology

Gold and red are the colors of the city of Naples and the hoisted black horse also refers to it. The blue band with three lilies of gold refers to the Bourbons of Naples, founders of the School. The armed wing of dagger on the open book refers to the motto of the school.

The mottos of the Nunziatella

Heraldic motto is for any institution or military unit sign and figure of its identity, together with the coat of arms; the variations of the mottos of the Nunziatella also detect historical and cultural changes underwent in individual historical periods:

1787-1805 and 1816-1860 - Arma, viri, ferte arma: the motto, used in the Bourbon period, is based on the Aeneid of Virgil (Verg. Aen. 2, 668); from the original classic (Arma, viri, ferte arma; vocat lux ultima victos, "Weapons, men, carry weapons; the last light calls the vanquished") ruled by Aeneas after witnessing the massacre carried out Pirro in Priam's palace. Its meaning is an invitation to die there with weapons in hand.

1806-1815 - Multos labores, magni meritis: the motto, used in the short Murat period, apparently did not originate from any classic work, but refers to the close connection between the efforts to deal with and the merits that follow.

1861-1931 - Et pace et bello: the motto ("In peace and war"), used in the first post-unification period until a few years before the Second World War, is, in fact, the first expression of the vocation of the Nunziatella as forge not only officers but also of citizens; curious the similarity of the motto with the title of the epic novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, but this was published only in 1865 and therefore has no connection with the motto, introduced in 1861.

1932-1944 - Victoriae regem dedit: the motto ("It gave the King of Victory") was granted by King Vittorio Emanuele III, a former student of the school, as a direct recognition of the role of the Nunziatella in its formation.

1945–present - I prepare for life and weapons: the last motto took over after World War II and the establishment of the Italian Republic, and it responds on the one hand the need to eliminate the republican institutions any reference to the monarchy; on the other recovers with other words the motto Et peace et bello, reaffirming once again the identity of the Nunziatella as training institute both military and civilian.

The patron saint

The official patron of the Military School Nunziatella is Our Lady of the Annunciation which is dedicated to the church from which the institute is named. However, in the 1960s added St. Crispin, namesake of the Jesuit monk whose ghost, according to legend, would haunt the basement of the school. The rituals associated with that internal myth are traced to a tragic event whose memory is still celebrated as part of the legacy of the institute: according to the legend, the night of St. Crispin a cadet died at the Nunziatella and in his memory the Patron saint of that day was adopted as patron of the students; the historical sources identify in the son of the general Giosué Ritucci, a cadet of the first year at Nunziatella, the unfortunate protagonist of this episode. Cadets still remember the occasion with a formal sign of respect (the first bed of the School's infirmary is never occupied) and with the celebration of a rite of remembrance on October 25.

According to another interpretation, the choice of St. Crispin has literary origins and would refer to the special feeling of brotherhood and equality, regardless of social background, which is spread among the cadets: they allude to the fact that words William Shakespeare attributes in his historical drama to Henry V of England just before the battle of Agincourt.

"And the Saints Crispin and Crispian,

from this day to the end of the world will no longer pass their holiday

together without them if we should remember also to us;

these we happily few,

of this our band of brothers:

he who today sheds his blood will be on me forever my brother

and, although it is of humble birth, this day I will ennoble"

The museum complex

The building of the Nunziatella encompasses also three important museums, reflecting the deep historical and cultural institution.

In the Museo Duca d'Aosta is collected decorations, weapons, flags, historical relics and personal items belonging to Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia-Aosta, said the "Invictus Duke", father of former pupil Amedeo di Savoia-Aosta and a leading figure of the First World War on the Italian front. The construction of the first nucleus of the Museum was made possible thanks to the work of the former student (then the official school) Francesco Sciascia (class of 1954–59).

In the Science Museum it is conserved an extensive collection of minerals and specimens of animals and plants, as well as a significant number of old instruments, originally purchased for the physics lab by meritorious teacher and commander of School Giuseppe Saverio Poli.

On June 16, 2012, it was finally inaugurated the museum of the Nunziatella Foundation, that collects and classifies many items donated by alumni. The museum is run by Giuseppe Catenacci, historian and Honorary President of the National Association alumni Nunziatella.

Notable alumni, teachers and commanders

In the more than two centuries of history the Nunziatella had among its students numerous personalities from the political, military, cultural and professional Italian and international world. In addition to those already mentioned, notable are the inventor Francesco Sponzilli, one of the pioneers of radio; economist Enrico Barone, father of the theory of marginal productivity; the designer Mario Revelli di Beaumont; historian Angelo Gatti and engineer Gennaro De Matteis, builder of the Palazzo dei Marescialli.

Numerous personalities from the cultural world have taught at the Nunziatella, contributing decisively to the development of the students. Among them are of notice Federico Zuccari, founder of Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte; EA Mario, author of The Song of the Piave; Luigi Russo, director of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa.

The Nunziatella had, at 2014, 75 commanders, including numerous alumni and personalities of the Italian civil life, including Luigi Chatrian, a member of the Constituent Assembly of the Italian Republic.