Pietro d'Acquarone was nominated to the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy in 1934.
20 Facts About Pietro d'Acquarone
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Pietro d'Acquarone was elevated to the rank of Duke by letter patents of King Victor Emmanuel III on 22 September 1942, thereby changing his surname from 'Acquarone' to 'd'Acquarone'.
3.
In May 1915 the Italian government was persuaded by the British to enter the war against the Austrians: d'Acquarone was deployed in the Northeastern Italy front and was awarded the Bronze Medal of Valor at Falzarego on 21 August 1915 and the Silver Medal of Valor at Monfalcone on 15 May 1916.
4.
On 9 November 1919 Pietro d'Acquarone married Maddalena Trezza di Musella, the daughter of Cesare Trezza di Musella and his wife, born Elena Knowles.
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Pietro d'Acquarone later became a leader in the Verona local militia.
6.
Pietro d'Acquarone retired from active military service in 1924, attaining the rank of Brigade General, in order to devote himself to managing the family business, which by this time it is described in sources as a "finance company".
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Pietro d'Acquarone moved with his wife to the riverside family estate of his deceased father-in-law at San Martino Buon Albergo, on the edge of the city.
8.
The appointment went ahead on 23 January 1934, and Pietro d'Acquarone swore his senatorial oath on 3 May 1934, following then usual verification checks.
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The appointment was evidently a success: Pietro d'Acquarone, who had been confirmed as a count by royal decree on 2 October 1919, was promoted to the status of duke by means of a royal decree dated 22 September 1942.
10.
The king's confidence in his administrative skills and good judgment more broadly only grew, meaning that behind the scenes Pietro d'Acquarone had become the monarch's most respected and trusted adviser.
11.
Meanwhile, throughout the middle months of 1943 Pietro d'Acquarone maintained close contact on behalf of the king with the principal military leaders, including Chief of the General Staff Vittorio Ambrosio, General Giacomo Carboni, General Giuseppe Castellano and Marshal Badoglio himself.
12.
Mussolini was made aware, by his newly appointed police chief, of the complex network of contacts that Pietro d'Acquarone was operating on behalf of the king, but seems to have been unwilling to attach too much importance to the matter.
13.
Pietro d'Acquarone continued to be extremely busy in the shadows behind the scenes, to the extent that in the diaries of Ivanoe Bonomi, which were later published, he is described as the king's "eminence grise".
14.
The armistice of 3 September 1943 - made public after 8 September 1943 - between Italy and the Anglo-American alliance was naturally no surprise to Pietro d'Acquarone, who had closely followed the negotiations involved in its preparation in order to be able to brief the king.
15.
On 13 October 1943 the Badoglio government and the Kingdom of Italy, from their Brindisi base, did nevertheless declare war on Germany: Badoglio later recalled that it had been necessary to wait for Pietro d'Acquarone to be temporarily absent before the king could be persuaded not to oppose his government over the matter.
16.
Pietro d'Acquarone opposed the abdication of Victor Emmanuel, for which governments in London and Washington were pressing.
17.
In reality Pietro d'Acquarone continued to act as advisor to his friend, the old king, but now on an unpaid basis, and known officially not as the "Minister to the Royal House" but as the "Honorary Minister to the Royal House".
18.
Pietro d'Acquarone remained with the king till the actual abdication, which took place on 9 May 1946.
19.
Pietro d'Acquarone returned to Verona, resuming effective control over the Trezza business in Verona.
20.
Pietro d'Acquarone married Maddalena Trezza di Musella on 9 November 1919.