Music Giovanni Paisiello | Adopted 1816—1861 | |
Inno al Re (English: Hymn to the King), composed by Giovanni Paisiello, was the national anthem of the southern European kingdom of the Two Sicilies from 1816 until the Italian unification in 1860.
Contents
Lyrics
These are the lyrics which were used during the time of the kingdom. In the example, below the name of Ferdinand could be replaced by whichever Bourbon king was ruling the Two Sicilies at the time. The "double throne of his fathers" is a reference to the fact that Naples and the Sicily were two kingdoms, hence the name of the country "Two" Sicilies.
"Back from the Past"
A new set of lyrics has been written by Neapolitan songwriter Riccardo Pazzaglia to go along with the original composition. This variation of the anthem is known as Ritornati dal passato, meaning Back from the Past. It has been officially adopted as the anthem of the Two Sicilies independence movement in Southern Italy called "Movimento Neoborbonico (7 sept. 1993). Below are the lyrics written by Riccardo Pazzaglia;