Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
horse trainer
A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them good behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which ...
, and international circus owner.
Early history
Giuseppe Chiarini was born in
Rome, Italy
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
in 1823. Born into a renowned Italian dynasty, his father was a trick rider and trainer of horses.
Circus life
Giuseppe became a pupil of Henri Franconi, and his trained horses were featured for a period among Franconi's show attractions. After studying under Franconi, the Italian equestrian opened his own circus in 1847 and made his way to America, where he began in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
which was under Spanish colonial rule and established a circus in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Jando, D. (2003). Big Apple Circus. Hong Kong: Big Apple Circus. Between 1853 and 1856, he had begun touring the island of
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
under the Royal Spanish Circus. He later adopted the name Chiarini's Royal Italian Circus, also known as Chiarini's Circus and Menagerie, acting as the manager and proprietor.
He travelled to Mexico around 1864 where he established his circus. While visiting Mexico, he staged a private exhibition at
Chapultepec Castle
Chapultepec Castle () is located on top of Chapultepec Hill in Mexico City's Chapultepec park. The name ''Chapultepec'' is the Nahuatl word which means "on the hill of the grasshopper". It is located at the entrance to Chapultepec park, at a he ...
.Renevey, M. J. (1977). Le Grand livre du cirque. Switzerland: Bibliothèque des arts.
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I (; ; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian archduke who became Emperor of Mexico, emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from 10 April 1864 until his execution by the Restored Republic (Mexico), Mexican Republ ...
reportedly bestowed Chiarini with a white Arabian
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
named "Abd-el-kader" during his visit. The horse had a reputation for being untamable, yet Chiarini tamed it within 15 days. He then toured Chile, where the country's president presented the skilled equestrian with an Italian stud horse named "Garibaldi." Continuing his South American tour, he set up the circus at the corner of Avenida Tucumán and Calle Libertad in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, in 1869, and returned in 1870. Chiarini went back to Europe next, gaining popularity in Lisbon and Madrid. The circus owner embarked on journeys to China and Brazil with his troupe.
In 1884, Chiarini travelled with his renowned circus to
Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
. He reached Manila in May 1886, where he established himself in the Philippine city's entertainment scene for two months. Arriving in Japan by July 1886, Chiarini made his debut in Tokyo and spent September and October touring the
Kantō region
The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...
. His troupe performed before
Emperor Meiji
, posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...
on November 1, 1886.
Family
He had a son, Ernesto Abel Chiarini, with an American woman from Boston named Serafina Fleres.The Billboard. (1932). United States: R.S. Littleford, Jr., W.D. Littleford.
Death
Chiarini died in 1897 at the Hotel Americano in
Panama City, Panama
Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province ...