MILAN (Reuters Life!) – Giorgio Carbone, elected prince of the village of Seborga whose colourful language earned him the title “Your Tremendousness,” has died at the age of 73, ANSA news agency reported on Wednesday.
Carbone, who adopted the title Prince Giorgio I of Seborga when he was chosen as its prince in 1963, had been ill for two years, ANSA said.
The former flower seller spent years researching Seborga’s past and its claims to independence which stem from its omission from historical records such as the acts of unification of Italy in 1861 and the formation of the Italian republic in 1946. Carbone used to pepper his speech with swear words which earned him the nickname “Sua Tremendita,” or Your Tremendousness, among the villagers.
Seborga mints its own coin — a Luigino — and issues passports and car number plates, all of which are valid only within the village’s limits.
International law experts have said Seborga’s claim to be an independent state is not valid because it does not exercise state authority on its territory in the region of Liguria.
Its history dates back to 954 when the counts of nearby Ventimiglia gave the land to Benedictine monks who established a Cistercian state. The monks sold Seborga to the King of Savoy and Sardinia in 1729 but the deal was not registered, local historians say.
Seborga’s territory amounts to about 14 sq km (5.406 sq mile) with a population of about 2,000 while the “capital” occupies 5 sq km, according to the website http://seborga.net.