Sherlock Holmes and the ashes of Foscolo
by Carlo Eugenio Casini
translated by Simona Fedeli
Some years ago I bought a wonderful historical residence on Florence hills with the set purpose of relaxing myself and celebrating the apology of idleness with my best friends. The name of the residence is "Villa Targioni Tozzetti" and it was the summer residence and the cultural meeting point of this famous family. In this villa, the famous Fanny used to gather the educated and the powerful.
It was during one of these meetings that a project was worked out which Sherlock Holmes contributed to.
In 1871, at the beginning of summer, the Italian capital city was being transferred from Florence to Rome. In a hot evening of that summer Fanny Targioni Tozzetti was idling about with Barone Bettino Ricasoli, President Lanza and Senator Bargoni. They were discussing about a recent law which authorized the posthumously publication of Foscolo's writings. These essays brought to Italy by his daughter Floriana have been bought by men as Mayer, Bassotti and Gino Capponi.
During the discussion, Fanny brought to their attention the prediction which Foscolo made about his "illacrimata sepoltura" (unmourned burial). As a matter of fact when Foscolo died, there were no news about the burial place; the only certain thing was that it was in a little cemetery around London.
Charming Fanny and her renowned guests came to the conclusion that they had to find Foscolo tomb and his corpse and had to tranfer both to a worthy place such as Basilica S.Croce in Florence. A committee was created and Senator Bargoni was nominated chief of it.
Before going on with my story I must explain how S.Holmes took part in Foscolo's tomb recovery.
When I bought Villa Targioni Tozzetti the old lodgers were dumb, vain and uncultured people who had replaced the old furnishings by formic furniture and, moreover, had thrown in the fire everything which, according to them, was useless or meaningless. Fortunately Miss Giusy Tartarelli, the daughter of the share-farmer, living nearby withdraw from those vandals part of the archives of Targioni Tozzetti Family. She gave me also a letter dated 17.7.71 written by Senator Bargoni to the Targioni Tozzetti Countess.
I will illustrate this letter step by step as this document may help to prove the italian origin of S.Holmes as hinted by our President.
'Dear friend, the wonderful strategies created during the exciting idle hours at your villa have, at last and even with unthinkable difficulties, led to the final aim; the Poet's body lies in the so well lirically exhalted sepulchre'.
With many difficulties, Bargoni had found the corpse. In fact he had discovered that nobody knew anything about Foscolo's tomb. Thanks to the Chiswich parish priest and to an old witness help the tomb could be found and opened. Between the many coffins only one was without name and the label with 'Foscolo' written on was nearby.There was no certainty and the corpse had to be recognized.
Fortunately, the Senator Bargoni could be helped by the old Doctor Negri and the Poet's barber.
The letter goes on:
I have the pleasure to thank our graceful quest. Moreover I need her cooperation to greet the man who let the Poet have the right burial. I think of the young, bad-tempered and wonderfully intuitive man who, togheter with the Chiswich parish priest, solved so easily the mystery of Ugo Foscolo's tomb.
Bargoni writes more:
What a surprise was this young man, this student so expert of Italian tongue and Italian literature to let us suppose about his italian origin. He disdained my proposal to thank him, accepting, after my insistance, some italian tobacco. Only to study the combustion of different mixtures.
All these details (the use of italian, the study of mixture combustion) are evidences which lead us to suppose that S.H. took part to the recovery of Foscolo's tomb. Bargoni goes on:
Remembering, in our meetings, the presence of a famous farmer of S.Sepolcro I ask to your Grace to satisfy the wish of our Londoner friend.
As a matter of fact, in Villa Targioni Tozzetti, now a farmer family lives whose origin is from S-Sepolcro; Mr. Giuseppe, the grandfather of the head-family, worked in a tobacco plantation in S.Sepolcro belonging to a Sir John Vincent Arden. It is very interesting to remember that in the story "The adventure of the solitary cyclist" is narrated the strange persecution against a certain sir John Vincent Arden.
All these coincidences bring me to state that the young, english man working with Bargoni was S.Holmes.
The letter ends:
I invite your Lordship to urge our common, tobacco-farmer friend who
I vainly tried to meet in London to satisfy this request, little compensation for the
great help he gave us. I hereby announce one of my visits to pay homage to Your Grace.
Your truly admirer, Senator Bargoni.
Florence, 17.7.1871
The farmer Giuseppe states that from the S.Sepolcro plantation of Sir Arden every three-four months lots of tobacco were sent to the Bradley Tobacco Shop in Oxford Street, in which, as commonly known by "The Hound of the Baskerville", S.H used to buy tobacco.
All these details and coincidences bring new light to Holmes and Foscolo's corpse relationship. I am obliged to give to the President of our association the original letter by Senator Bargoni dated 17.7.1871.
What a coincidence!!! The 17th of July is also my birthday!!!