Donna Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto was born in Florence, as member of the House of Caracciolo, of the high Italian nobility. Her father was Don Filippo Caracciolo, 8th Prince di Castagneto, 3rd Duke di Melito, and hereditary Patrician of Naples, from an old Neapolitan noble family. Her mother was the former Margaret Clarke of Peoria, Illinois. She had two brothers, DonCarlo Caracciolo, who inherited their father's titles in 1965 and founded the newspaper La Repubblica, being known as the "editor prince", referring to his aristocratic birth and elegant manner; and Don Nicola Caracciolo, the holder since 2008 of the titles, as 10th Prince di Castagneto, 5th Duke di Melito, and hereditary Patrician of Naples.
Family
She was married in Osthoffen to Fiat tycoon Gianni Agnelli on 19 November 1953; they would remain married until his death on 24 January 2003. They had two children:
Agnelli, who was educated in Paris, was an assistant to Erwin Blumenfeld in New York City early in her varied career, as well as an occasional editor and photographic contributor to Vogue. In 1973, she created a textile line for Abraham-Zumsteg, for which she was awarded the Resources Council's Roscoe in 1977. An avid gardener, Agnelli authored a number of books on the subject, also providing many of the photographs. Two of her books are about the Garden of Ninfa and The Agnelli Gardens at Villar Perosa. More recently, she oversaw the opening of the Renzo Piano-designed art gallery Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, built on the roof of the former Lingotto Fiat factory in Turin, Italy. The Agnelli collection includes Picasso, Renoir, Canaletto, Matisse and Canova masterpieces.
The Swans
The reserved, patrician tastemaker and socialite was also known for her inclusion in Truman Capote's circle of "swans" wealthy, stylish, and well-married women friends whose company he adored because they "had created themselves, as he had done", and "had stories to tell" According to Capote, Agnelli was "the European swan numero uno", one of the youngest in a group which included Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, C. Z. Guest, Slim Keith, Pamela Harriman, Lee Radziwill and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In her autobiography, Washington Post publisher and Capote friend Katharine Graham recounted that the author once told her that if Paley and Agnelli were "both in Tiffany's window, Marella would be more expensive". She was portrayed in the American biographical film Infamous by Isabella Rossellini.
Agnelli, Marella; Caracciolo Chia, Marella. Marella Agnelli The Last Swan. New York City: Rizzoli..
Agnelli, Marella; Caracciolo, Marella; Pejrone, Paolo. The Agnelli Gardens at Villar Perosa Two Centuries of a Family Retreat. New York City: Harry Abrams..
Agnelli, Marella; Pietromarchi, Luca; Bright, Robert Emmett; Forquet, Federico. Gardens of the Italian Villas. New York City: Rizzoli..
