Professor Maestro Riccardo Muti and his wife, Professor Maestro Cristina Mazzavillani Muti, received awards near the City of Ravenna in Italy.
On the day of 14 March 2026, between the Municipalities of Alfonsine and Lugo (near the City of Ravenna), in Italy, Region Emilia-Romagna, the Knightly Chapter of the Imperial Protectorate of St. Michael the Archangel met in convocation. This Religious and Chivalric group is inspired by the figure of St. Michael the Archangel, traditionally invoked as a Protector and Defender and is an organization of the Imperial Family Tomassini Paternò, formerly Tomasi (or Thomasi) Leopardi of Constantinople.
The Region Emilia-Romagna is a Region of Northern Italy. Ravenna is known as the “Capital of Mosaics” and is very famous for its early Christian monuments. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the fifth century until its collapse in 476, after which it served as the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom and then the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna.
The Imperial Family Tomassini Paternò, formerly Tomasi (or Thomasi) Leopardi of Constantinople was led in modern times by H.I.H. Prince Ugo Giuseppe (also known as Hugo José) Tomassini Paternò (1927-2011), war hero, artist, heraldist and man of culture. The present Head of Name and Arms of the Imperial Family is the nephew of Prince Ugo Giuseppe, H.I.H. Prince Ezra Annibale Foscari Widmann Rezzonico, who is the son of Prince Ugo Giuseppe’s sister Evy Delia. He is married to H.I.H. Princess Maddalena.
H.I.H. Prince Ezra Annibale Foscari Widmann Rezzonico is the Head of two Byzantine Dynasties, the Heraclian and the Justinian. The ancestry and descent of these dynasties is recorded in centuries-old publications, for example the Family Tomasi in the “Della Nobiltà dell’Italia, Parte Prima del Signor D. Francesco Zazzera, napoletano, alla Serenissima e Cattolicissima Maestà del Re Filippo III Nostro Signore” (Of/On the Nobility of Italy, Part One by Mr. D. Francesco Zazzera, Neapolitan, to the Most Serene and Most Catholic Majesty of King Philip III Our Lord), Napoli (Naples), which was published in 1615. The family of Prince Ezra also descends from the Sovereign Prince Francesco Foscari, 65th Doge of Venice, from Pope Clement XIII (Rezzonico), and from the Aragonese Royal Family of Paternò.
During the ceremony, Maestro Riccardo Muti, the world famous orchestral conductor, was honoured by Prince Ezra, who was accompanied by His Excellency Archon Count Dr. Antonino Iuculano, Logothete of all the Orders of Chivalry of the Imperial House and Grand Prior of the Imperial Protectorate of St. Michael the Archangel. Maestro Muti was awarded the rank of Knight Grand Cross of Justice with Collar of the Imperial Noble Order of the Heraclian Crown of Constantinople, the highest dynastic Order of the Imperial House. His wife Dame Cristina Mazzavillani Muti also received the rank of Dame Grand Cross of Justice with Collar in this Order.
The award to Maestro Muti and his wife recognized in particular their close association with Ravenna and its Festival, which each year celebrates the legacy of opera and classical music, as well as other traditions in music, dance, drama, film and exhibitions.
It’s easy to spot Professor Cristina Mazzavillani Muti cycling through Ravenna. It’s not a whim, but a proof of her simplicity, It shows her connection with Mother Nature, the environment, and ecology, and the profound, perfect connection she has with her fellow citizens.
Maestro Muti and his wife received as well the titles as Academician of Honour ad vitam (Lifetime) of the Academies of the Imperial House (the Nobile Accademia Heracliana, the Nobile Accademia Giustinianea, the Accademia Costantiniana Leopardiana, the Serenissima Accademia Foscari Widmann Rezzonico, and the Accademia Universitaria Internazionale). In addition, they received the titles of Academician of Honour ad vitam (for life) awarded by the J.S. Bach Academy of Music Arts and Letters and Sciences, which is a research centre of European-American University, and the titles of Academician of Honour ad vitam awarded by the Accademia Internazionale di Musica “Antonio Lucio Vivaldi”, a Division of the U.P.T.E.M., Università Popolare e della Terza Età “Mogadiscio” (Popular and Third Age University “Mogadiscio”), Italy, which is in full partnership with European-American University.
The Diplomas of the J.S. Bach Academy of Music Arts and Letters and Sciences were awarded to Maestro Muti and his wife Professor Muti by Prince Prof. Dr. Luca Scotto di Tella de’ Douglas of Castel di Ripa, who is Executive International President of the J. S. Bach Academy of Music, Arts, Letters and Sciences as well as being Vice-Chancellor of European-American University. Prof. Scotto di Tella de’ Douglas di Castel di Ripa is passionate about classical music, especially of the baroque era. He is Professor honoris causa of the Conservatory of Music of the Universidad Politecnica de Nicaragua (U.P.O.L.I.)
These prestigious awards are intended as a heartfelt and fitting tribute to the extraordinary contribution made by this wonderful couple to the dissemination of Italian musical culture throughout the world. Cristina Mazzavillani Muti, founder and driving force behind the Ravenna Festival, has transformed the Festival into one of Europe’s most important cultural events, bringing internationally renowned artists and productions to the Romagna city and promoting initiatives that combine art, dialogue between peoples, and civic engagement.
Alongside her, the illustrious and world-renowned Maestro Riccardo Muti – one of the greatest Conductors of our time – has continued for decades to represent Italian musical excellence in the most prestigious theatres and symphonic institutions around the World, contributing in an extraordinary way to the great operatic and symphonic repertoire and to the education of new generations of Musicians. Maestro Muti has received more then twenty honorary doctorates, is a Professor in many Conservatoires, is Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy, and has been awarded the State Gold Medal for Deserving People of Culture and Art (Italy), the Knight Grand Cross of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (Holy See), Knight Commander (Honorary) of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Commander of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour, and many others. An asteroid, 37735 Riccardomuti, was named after Him.
In 2013 Riccardo Muti conducted Verdi’s opera “I due Foscari” in Rome. This opera is based on the 1821 historical play, The Two Foscari by Lord Byron. Note that the two Foscari referenced in the play and the opera are two ancestors of Prince Ezra.
At the ceremony, the celebrant of the Knightly Chapter was the Dignitary Mirco Bresciani. The Ceremonial was overseen, as Master of Ceremonies by the Bailiff of Tuscany, Nadio Tecce. The Prior of the Centre North, Enzo Bono, Byzantine Patrician, served as host. Among those present were Vicar H.I.R.H. Prince Piero Caputo, Grand Councillors/Advisors the Sovereign Princes Luca Scotto di Tella de’ Douglas di Castel di Ripa and Loris Castriota Skanderbegh (a famous journalist and cultural promoter, descendant of the Albanian national hero Prince and General Gjergj Kastrioti (also known as Skanderbeg)). Other guests included His Excellency the Imperial Prefect Akrita Baron Dr. Vito Armenise (as well Director of the Press Office and Public Relations) of the family of the Counts dell’Artemisio and the Raho Noble Family, Barons of Cassinetto. Also present was Dignitary Avv. (Lawyer) Dr. Vetullio Mussolini JD, Supreme Court Lawyer (his father Tullio, was the cousin of the late Duce Benito Mussolini) Founder of the political movement “Rinnovamento di Destra”, which aims to restore and defend Italian national sovereignty. and Dignitary and Master of Music of the Imperial Household Prof. Maestro Salvatore Valente.
The ceremony is part of the cultural, religious, chivalric and philanthropic activities promoted by the Imperial House of Tomassini Paternò Leopardi, which includes among its Dynastic Orders the Imperial Noble Order of the Heraclian Crown of Constantinople, the Imperial Military Order of the Guard of Honour of Hagia Sophia, the Sacred Imperial Byzantine Order of Saint Constantine the Great and Saint George the Great Martyr, the Grand Commandery of Saints John and Lazarus of Jerusalem, and the Imperial Protectorate of Saint Michael the Archangel.
The evening concluded with a sumptuous Gala Dinner at the very renowned Ala d’Oro Hotel and Restaurant (4 stars, from 1952) in Lugo (Ravenna), where several works created by the youth of the Cuor di Picchio srl. social-welfare center were exhibited. The wonderful paintings were then auctioned off to support the center’s creative and social activities. The activity of “Cuor di Picchio” is carried out in collaboration with the Social Services of the Municipality of Lugo (Ravenna).
The Gala Dinner was enlivened and cheered by two very expert, renowed and talented musicians, Prof. Maestro Giovanni Ribichesu, pianist and lyric tenor and Prof. Maestro Olivera Mercurio, a soprano singer.
Further reading and references:
Luca Scotto di Tella de’ Douglas di Castel di Ripa “Sulla porfirogenita Casata Tomassini-Paternò (già Tomasi-Leopardi di Costantinopoli), la Sua origine bizantina e la Sua fusione con la Casata Foscari Widmann Rezzonico”, Aracne Editrice, Italy, 2023 (available at https://www.aracne-editrice.it/index.php/pubblicazione.html?item=9788825541731)
Luca Scotto di Tella de’ Douglas di Castel di Ripa “Dizionario Enciclopedico di Araldica, Nobiltà, Sovranità e Cavalleria”, Aracne Editrice, Italy, 2021 (available at https://www.aracne-editrice.it/index.php/pubblicazione.html?item=9788825541229)
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