ABSTRACT
The march of the poet-warrior into Fiume on September 1919 was very much in keeping with Gabriele D'Annunzio love for melodrama. The citizens of Fiume, having lost their Sardinian protectors, immediately undertook to win over the new Italian troops. The First Regiment became the nucleus of the troops that marched on Fiume slightly more than two weeks later. In its style of life and exuberance of celebration, Fiume was a D'Annunzian city long before the arrival of the poet-warrior. While many have claimed that D'Annunzio transformed Fiume into a beehive of degenerate activity, the city had already achieved a considerable notoriety for its dolce vita before the poet took command. Few citizens of Fiume had slept the night before the "sacred entrance," for few of them were certain when D'Annunzio would arrive. The use of the "sacred" flag of Giovanni Randaccio is simply one of many symbols the poet used to stress the sanctity of Fiume.
