Umberto and Maria José. Gala dinner on the occasion of the wedding of Crown Prince Umberto of Savoy and Princess Maria José of Belgium. Rome, Palazzo del Quirinale, 9 January 1930.

Umberto and Maria José. Gala dinner on the occasion of the wedding of Crown Prince Umberto of Savoy and Princess Maria José of Belgium. Rome, Palazzo del Quirinale, 9 January 1930.

270x190 mm. Menu and musical programme printed in chromolithography and gold on two cards bound with a white silk cord.

This splendid menu for the gala dinner related to the celebrations of the marriage of Umberto and Maria José. Another copy was displayed in the exhibition 'A World of Menus' held for the first time at Garum in Rome and was thus commented in the catalogue:

'Umberto of Savoy and Maria José are married on the morning of 8 January 1930 in the Pauline Chapel of the Quirinale. After the wedding ceremony, a wedding breakfast is served in the grand ballroom, set up in a horseshoe arrangement, attended by all the Sovereigns, Princes, and Princesses who witnessed the marriage. The following day a military review and an aerial carousel take place.

In the evening, a grand gala dinner is held at Court, attended not only by the royal Princes and Princesses but also by notable personalities from their entourage. The gala dinner the following day confirms the evolution of the evening meal towards more simplified models, which will remain in vogue until the 1960s and 70s, generally comprising: a soup (Royal Cream) and a roast (Roast Turkey with Watercress); between the soup and the roast, a fish or seafood dish (Salmon Trout with Genoese Sauce) and a legume dish (Green Beans à la Maître d’Hôtel, a ridiculous Italianisation of 'à la maître d'hôtel'), in this case served afterwards.

On grand occasions, after fish, another course may be served (Pâté of Foie Gras with Jelly). With the roast, or shortly after, a fresh salad is served, then dessert (Lodigiana Cannoli), then fruit. Ice cream, if present (Pineapple Ice Cream), may be served before or after dessert. In a gala dinner, the order of wines includes white wine with broth and fish, red from fish to roast, sparkling wine immediately after serving the roast, and dessert wines with dessert and fruit' (Un Mondo di Menu, Rome, Garum Library and Museum of Cooking, 2024, pp. 188-189, repr. n.168).

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Who knows if Grok was there... Let's ask him what he knows about the marriage of Umberto and Maria José: 'The wedding was celebrated with great pomp, but it was not a particularly happy union. The couple had four children: Maria Pia, Vittorio Emanuele, Maria Gabriella, and Maria Beatrice. However, their character differences and the political difficulties of the time, including the fall of the Italian monarchy in 1946, severely tested their relationship. Umberto, nicknamed "the May King" for his brief reign, was bound to the institutional role, while Maria José had more progressive interests and engaged in cultural and humanitarian activities.

After the 1946 referendum that marked the end of the monarchy, the couple went into exile in Portugal. Eventually, Umberto and Maria José effectively separated: he lived in Cascais, while she settled in Switzerland, dedicating herself to historical and musical studies. They never formally divorced, maintaining a civil relationship for the sake of the family.

Maria José returned to Italy only after Umberto's death in 1983, living between Geneva and Merlinge until her death in 2001. Their marriage is often described as a facade union, marked by dynastic duties rather than a genuine affectionate bond, against a turbulent historical backdrop for Italy and the monarchy.'