to oppose the king in battle

And when you take a Playboy interview, where they pump sound bites into the media, it all sounds much harsher than you intended.

He grinned, displaying crooked teeth and black gums. Yikes.

Gabriele D’Annunzio, a priapic, drug-addicted poet, war hero, military adventurer and man about town, was a mesmeric figure who encouraged triumphalism in Italy’s nationalist right-wingers.