WRITER - an account of a royal descendant in Ovada

"Una pronipote dell'Imperatrice Elisabetta d'Austria ad Ovada"

URBS, silva et flumen, XVIII (2005), pp. 150-152

Giorgio was always on the lookout for interesting people. If they were also titled or had some connections to the aristocracy, all the better, though it would be far from true to say Giorgio Quintini was a snob, in the English sense of the word. He enjoyed the odd and the different and he liked to have a good story to tell.

In Ovada he met an American couple who lived in the town for some months every year and they had got to know a good many of the locals. As cosmopolitans Giorgio made friends with them and was surprised when the lady told him her father was a son of the Duchess of Alencon, Sophie of Bavaria, a sister of the famous Elizabeth, or "Sissi", who married Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria.

His imagination was captured and he started to investigate the claim. The result was his last article in the local historical association's journal, which is reproduced below. A pdf file with the article is available at the URBS website, here: http://accademiaurbense.it/annate/Urbs_2005.htm

Giorgio worked out a family tree and clipped it to his copy of the article. The current writer is not qualified to comment on its details.

After this article Giorgio Quintini published no more in URBS, though he continued writing and performing. He went on perfecting his book on the Paleologo family and adding notes to various files.