Friday, September 21, 2007

Orioni Family (June, Junko, Megan, Melissa)

Family History
       The Orioni family is believed to have descended from hunters during the Ancient Roman times, but detailed records of the family’s history do not begin until the 1500s. In 1527, Jiordano Orioni saw the sack of Rome as a business opportunity, and he relocated his Civita-based olive press to Rome to fill a vacancy in the truffle-flavored olive oil market. Shortly afterwards, Pope Clement VII, attempting to promote new business enterprises in the wake of the disaster, tasted Jiordano’s oil as an act of solidarity for the businessmen, and was so impressed with the flavor that he named Jiordano the papacy’s exclusive olive oil provider.
       Jiordano tried to use his ties to the pope to get his son, Marcantonio Orioni, named a cardinal, but his suggestions were rebuffed. Angered, Jiordano sent oil tainted with hemlock, which killed the pope, although the public suspicion at the time rested on the Head Cook. When the next pope, Puffius III came to power, he promoted Jiordano to Head Cook, who brought Marcantonio as an assistant. Under the tutelage of his father, Marcantonio exhibited extraordinary culinary skills that drew the attention of Puffius III, who promoted Marcantonio to cardinal, in order to chain him to the church permanently.
       In 1551, Puffius III died unexpectedly of natural causes (although the death was rumored to be suspicious), and a conclave was called. Marcantonio, eligible for election, provided snacks for the gathered cardinals, and slipped in wild mushrooms instead of truffles, causing most of the cardinals to become hallucinogenic, leading to his own election as Pope Jammaj VIII. During his reign, Jammaj VIII decreed that Roman citizens could only purchase his family’s olive oil, and with the revenue that poured in, he was able to support restoration of ancient sites such as the Ara Pacis Augustae and the Roman Forum.
       One night, while at the Pantheon during a storm, Jammaj VIII was visited by a vision of a god as he gazed at the lightning flashing overhead. “Follow the green lizard to the center of the world,” said the figure. Marcantonio followed the lizard to a twelve-point star, where he found seven mystical objects of power, which have ensured his family's domination into the 21st century.

Crest Description
       Historical Representation: The focus of the crest is Il Magnifico, the lizard who guided Marcantonio to prosperity. He is surrounded by a dodeca-pointed star, symbolic of the center of the world and signifying the papacy and thus placing the Orioni family at the center of the world. The design is surrounded by truffles on the top edge to signify the fungi that brought the Orioni family to prominence within the papacy. The shells that line the left and right edges represent the pilgrimage Pope Jammaj VIII underwent. The two columns are representative of his extensive restoration projects.
       Current Representation: The lizard shown here signifies one of many that has followed the family in our stay in Rome--they are at the Forum, at the beach, and there is even one residing in our apartment (affectionately named Lizzie, or George). Various other symbols represent the art history sites that each of us researched (and also became affectionately attached to). The 12-point star is the pattern laid into Piazza del Campidoglio on top of the Capitoline Hill which was Junko's site. Columns appear in many ancient buildings and can be found in June's site, the Roman Forum, and in Melissa's site, Piazza San Pietro. Below the columns is a recent addition to the family crest—the balcony which shows the family’s current residence in Campo de’ Fiori.

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