Hemingway rowing in front of Hotel des Iles Borromees.
I had the pleasure of speaking to the head of New Street Communications, Ed Renehen, yesterday. His publishing company based in R.I. has recently published H.R. Stoneback’s book, Hemingway’s Paris: Our Paris? Ed had some great Hemingway stories which I truly enjoyed.
I also saw in Denis Brian’s, The True Gen, that there was a photo of Ernest Hemingway with Pier Vincenzo Bellia and his daughter, Bianca Bellia who claimed (60 years later) that Hemingway proposed to her when he was at Stresa on Lake Maggiore (1918). I’m trying to find out if that comment is true?…if anyone has any information please let me know.
The Life of Ernest Hemingway 
It was rather interesting for me to read that article. Thanks for it. I like such themes and anything that is connected to them. I would like to read more soon.
Mary Kripke
london escort female
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment Mary – and check back periodically for updated content.
LikeLike
Hi Mary – I was remembering that yo usaid you like reading about themes in Hemingway’s work – please check th e”blogroll” on the right side of my blog and click Adriana Ivancich – let me know what you think
LikeLike
Hy, I was reading Agnes Von kurowsky letters in the book “Hemingway in love and war” and found Stresa and Bianca Bellia, this is the link of an article that appeared in an italian gossip paper. Massimo Giletti is a unimpressive anchorman IMHO, but in the article is mentioned giovanni cecchin who was quite a reliable scholar… if you need the translation just ask me and I’ll put it up. http://www.adnkronos.com/Archivio/AdnAgenzia/1998/03/31/Cultura/HEMINGWAY-CHIESE-LA-MANO-DELLA-NONNA-DI-MASSIMO-GILETTI_134400.php
By the way, I’m very happy that I’ve found your blog! I’m working on my thesis, and in particular I’m studing H. presence in Treviso. I’ reading a lot of materials, and as far as I’ve seen I believe you are very well acquainted on the subject…may I ask you some suggestions?
LikeLike
Hi – ask away – hopefully I can help – what is your thesis exactly?
LikeLike
Would definitely like to see the translation – thanks
LikeLike
Here I am. This is the translation…hope is not that bad:
The young Ernest Hemingway fell in love with Bianca Maria Bellia, who was going to become maternal granmother of the italian anchorman Massimo Giletti, when he got to know her during first world war. The girl lived in Torino and Hemingway asked her to marry him, but she refused because her family objected their union. This strange occurrance is going to be told on the next issue of the weekly “Oggi” by Giletti and is supported by Giovanni Cecchin’s research, one of Hemingway’s greatest scholars.
In september 1918 Hemigway went convalescing in Stresa, after being wounded on the river Piave, where he was volunteering for the american red cross. In that occasion the nineteen-years-old writer met a lovely brunette, with a jaunty forelock Bianca Maria, she was two years younger than him, and she was there with her parents and her sisters Elda and Dionisia. They spent few days together but sufficient to exchange love vowes. Ernest invited her to follow him in america, but she hesitated. Two weeks after coming back to the hospital in Milan, Hemingway received a visit from Bianca Maria’s father and sister Elda, the oldest sibling. He and Bianca had a brief mail exchange, that contributed to speculate about a short visit of him in Turin in dicember 1919 to make his proposal.
Their acquaintance seems to be confirmed by some photographs portraying them together, which have been found by professor Cecchin in a private archive in the U.S.
In some of those photo appears also lieutenant John W. Miller, Hemingway’s fellow in the Basso Piave. It was Bianca Maria Bellia (she died in 1990) who revealed the story of that extraordinary meeting to Giovanni Cecchin, the family however has always treated the facts with discretion, as Giletti claims on ”Oggi”, he also adfirms that he got to know that Hemingway came back to Italy in 1922 to see again the young lady.
In my thesis I’m sort of tracing his movements in treviso region. I know there is a photo taken in Refrontolo in an old “Osteria” (popular restaurant) and i’m serching biographies and letters to find traces of that trip …Have you ever met Refrontolo in your readings?
greetings
LikeLike