The Bad Poet

Comini is promoted to federal secretary of Brescia and secretly ordered by Achille Starace to win over Gabriele D'Annunzio and spy on him for the regime. He must report back on the Vate's true opinions and any hint of anti-Fascist sentiment. The mission marks the start of a fraught relationship between the ruler and the poet.

Comini begins frequent visits to the Vittoriale, where D'Annunzio lives in seclusion with Luisa and Amèlie. The poet grows fond of the young secretary, even as he remains aware of the espionage task plaguing their bond. Their dynamic blends affection with political subtext.

D'Annunzio's regard for Comini deepens, drawn by the poet's charisma and nostalgic memory of Italy's glories. Comini grapples with the personal warmth against the regime's expectations. The line between admirer and agent becomes increasingly blurry.

D'Annunzio asks Comini to arrange a meeting with Mussolini during the Duce's trip to Germany, hoping to dissuade him from the alliance with Hitler. Comini struggles to secure the encounter and ultimately cannot fulfill the request. The failure intensifies the tension between the poet's independence and the government's demands.

Meanwhile, Comini's affair with Lina unfolds, weaving romance into the oppressive atmosphere. Lina's anti-Fascist half-brother is arrested, and she kills herself in the wake of the crackdown. The tragedy underscores the regime's reach and the personal price of political loyalty.

The sequence of events pushes Comini toward doubt about Fascism and the costs of blind obedience. He starts questioning the regime's methods and the guilt implicit in surveillance.

In 1937, after Marconi's death, D'Annunzio is named ex officio president of the Accademia d'Italia. The appointment offers ceremonial prestige while his health and temper fray. The poet's voice remains potent, even as the regime's hand tightens around him.

D'Annunzio confronts Mussolini at Verona Porta Nuova Station on his return from Germany, warning of the dangers of the Hitler alliance. The Duce dismisses him with condescension, diminishing the poet's influence. The moment crystallizes the political rift between them.

The meeting precipitates a mental and physical breakdown in D'Annunzio, and he bids farewell to Comini. He proclaims that opposing the war is his duty and vows to try again when he goes to Rome to accept the Academy presidency. The moment marks the end of their close relationship.

Back home, Starace reprimands Comini for detailing the popular impatience with the Mussolini–Hitler alliance in his dossiers. The reprimand reinforces the regime's intolerance for dissent and reshapes Comini's standing.

A year after the Verona encounter, D'Annunzio dies under unclear circumstances. His funeral is attended by Mussolini, signaling the regime's lingering involvement in his fate. The event cements the poet's controversial legacy within the political landscape.

During the funeral, Luisa gives Comini a peacock feather that belonged to D'Annunzio, symbolizing their friendship amid a fragile political landscape. Shortly afterward, Comini is demoted for opposing the alliance with Hitler and Mussolini.

Luisa and Amèlie are forced to leave the Vittoriale forever, ending Comini's close tie to the poet's circle. The regime's crackdown reconfigures the Vittoriale's life and power structure. The story closes on a note of exile and loss.