And when you take a Playboy interview, where they pump sound bites into the media, it all sounds much harsher than you intended.

to oppose the king in battle

He grinned, displaying crooked teeth and black gums. Yikes.

Gabriele D’Annunzio, a priapic, drug-addicted poet, war hero, military adventurer and man about town, was a mesmeric figure who encouraged triumphalism in Italy’s nationalist right-wingers.