Italy, Kingdom. A Rare and Superb Commemorative Fasces to the Duke of Genoa from the Crew of the Cruiser Fiume

An exceptionally rare commemorative fasces, constructed of silver with striking toning throughout the base highlighted with polished adornments, consisting of a ribbed shaft representing a bundle of wooden rods, symbolically held together with a multi-segment ribbon, culminating in an axe head bearing a raised and gilded integral anchor and fasces, the reverse of the axe head bearing a finely-engraved inscription of “A.S.A.R. IL DUCA DI GENOVA / 16 MARZO 1934 / A XII E.F.” (“TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF GENOA / 16 MARCH 1934 / IN THE 12TH YEAR OF THE FASCIST ERA”), with the obverse of the uppermost ribbon segment bearing an engraved inscription of “R. INCROCIATORE FIUME” (Regio Incrociatore Fiume/Royal Cruiser Fiume), the reverse bearing a date of “27. APRILE 1930 / A. VIII E.F.” (“27 APRIL 1930 / 8TH YEAR OF THE FASCIST ERA”, commemorating the launch date of the Fiume), with the middle segment bearing an engraved inscription of “SIC INDEFICENTER VIRTUS” (“THUS WITH INEXHAUSTIBLE VALOUR”, the motto of the Fiume and the city of Fiume, now Rijeka, Croatia), measuring 36 cm in length, with a maximum width of 11.5 cm (inclusive of the axe head), a stunning and unique example gifted to Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa, in the name of the crew of the Cruiser Fiume upon his promotion to Admiral of the Royal Italian Navy in 1934, in extremely fine condition.

Footnote 1: Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa (Ferdinando Umberto Filippo Adalberto di Savoia) was born in Turin on 21 April 1884, the eldest son of Prince Tommaso, Duke of Genoa and Princess Isabella of Bavaria. A first cousin of King Victor Emmanuel III and a member of the Genoa branch of the House of Savoy, he chose a professional naval career and entered the Royal Naval Academy at Livorno. Granted the title of Prince of Udine in 1904, he served aboard a variety of warships and participated in the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, establishing a reputation as a capable and energetic officer. 

During the First World War, Ferdinando played an active role in Italy's naval campaign in the Adriatic. He commanded destroyers, torpedo craft, and later the scout cruiser Sparviero, conducting patrols, convoy escorts, and offensive operations against Austro-Hungarian naval forces. His wartime service earned him several decorations for bravery and distinction. In 1917 he headed an important Italian mission to the United States, accompanied by inventor Guglielmo Marconi, to strengthen military and financial cooperation between the two allied nations. After the war, he continued to rise through the ranks of the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy), commanding important naval districts and representing Italy on a number of diplomatic missions abroad. 

Prince Ferdinando succeeded his father as the third Duke of Genoa on 24 January 1931 and was promoted to the rank of Admiral in 1934, for which he received the accompanying commemorative fasces. He subsequently represented King Victor Emmanuel III at important state ceremonies, including the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1930, and remained one of the senior figures of the Italian navy and royal family. In 1938 he married Countess Maria Luisa Alliaga Gandolfi, though the marriage produced no children. After the abolition of the Italian monarchy in 1946, he lived quietly in retirement at Bordighera, where he died on 24 June 1963 at the age of 79.The dukedom then passed to his younger brother, Prince Filiberto, Duke of Genoa.

Footnote 2: The heavy cruiser Fiume was the second ship of the Zara class of the Royal Italian Navy, launched in 1930 and commissioned in 1931. During the interwar years she participated in numerous training cruises and represented Italy at several international events, becoming one of the most modern and powerful cruisers in the Mediterranean. Following Italy's entry into the Second World War in June 1940, Fiume took part in the major naval operations of the Mediterranean campaign, including the Battle of Calabria and operations against British convoys to Malta and Greece. 

Fiume's career came to an early end during the Battle of Cape Matapan on the night of 28–29 March 1941. After her sister ship Pola had been crippled by British aircraft, Fiume and other Italian heavy units turned back to assist her, only to encounter British battleships at close range in darkness. Illuminated by searchlights and subjected to devastating gunfire, Fiume was quickly reduced to a burning wreck and sank in the early hours of 29 March 1941 with heavy loss of life, one of the Royal Italian Navy 's most serious wartime disasters.