Sveva lived like a princess who was kept isolated in a fairy tale castle. She was given little opportunity to make friends with other children. In Italy, aristocratic families kept to themselves. Sveva’s parents lived like that in Vernon, too. She had many expensive dolls to play with, but no friends. Sveva did not attend the local school. She was educated at home by a series of governesses who came from England. She was free to travel with her parents on their many trips to Rome, France, and England to look after business and to visit friends and relatives. While in Monte Carlo in 1929, Sveva began to take painting and drawing lessons. Her father, Leone, wanted Sveva to experience life through reading, writing, painting, and travelling as he had done. They shared a love of history and literature. Sveva adored her father, and she was heartbroken when he died. Her privileged childhood had come to an end.

Leone: The Handsome Prince

Sveva’s father, Leone Caetani, Duke of Sermoneta and Prince of Teano, was born in Rome in 1869. The Caetani family was very wealthy and owned a great deal of land. As the son, Leone was obliged to look after the family estates. This would be his job for life. When young, Leone travelled a great deal. He was well educated and knew many languages. He wrote a 12–volume history of the Arab world that Sveva proudly said was considered the best ever written. Leone was also involved in politics. He was a member of a reform party that wanted to improve the life of the workers and the peasants. Mussolini, who would be elected Premier of Italy in 1922, believed in using military force to keep citizens under control. Leone did not support Mussolini’s harsh policies, and he decided to leave Rome. He wanted to be free of his old life and make a new one. He wanted to live where there was equality among people. He did not like the class differences that ruled their lives in Rome.