30 October

Luisa Spagnoli - businesswoman

Inventor of Baci chocolates who diversified into fashion

The businesswoman Luisa Spagnoli, who is credited with creating the Perugina company’s famous Baci chocolates and later developed clothing lines using wool from angora rabbits, was born on this day in 1877 in Perugia.  Spagnoli was one of the four partners who launched the Perugina brand in 1907. She is said to have invented the confection that came to be known as Baci as a way to avoid wasting surplus chocolate and hazelnuts left over from the company’s other lines.  Perugina, now owned by Nestlé, grew to be Italy’s biggest chocolate manufacturer and Baci its best-selling product. The romantic messages inside the wrappers that remain a popular feature of the chocolates to this day are said to have been inspired by the clandestine romance between Spagnoli and the son of one of the other partners.  Read more…

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Poggio Bracciolini – scholar and humanist

Calligrapher who could read Latin changed the course of history

Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini, who rediscovered many forgotten Latin manuscripts including the only surviving work by the Roman poet and philosopher, Lucretius, died on this day in 1459 in Florence.  For his services to literature he was commemorated after his death with a statue by Donatello and a portrait by Antonio del Pollaiuolo.  Bracciolini was born in 1380 at Terranuova near Arezzo in Tuscany. In 1862 his home village was renamed Terranuova Bracciolini in his honour.  He studied Latin as a child under a friend of the poet, Petrarch. His linguistic ability and talent for copying manuscripts neatly was soon noted by scholars in Florence.  He later studied notarial law and at 21 was received into the notaries guild in Florence.  After becoming secretary to the Bishop of Bari, Bracciolini was invited to join the Chancery of Apostolic Briefs in the Roman Curia of Pope Boniface IX.  Read more…

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Giuseppe Ravizza - inventor

His writing machine was forerunner of typewriter

The 19th century inventor Giuseppe Ravizza, whose Cembalo Scrivano machine could be seen as the world’s first typewriter, died on this day in 1885 in Livorno, on the Tuscan coast, about 25km (16 miles) south of Pisa. Ravizza created the first working prototype for his writing machine in 1846 and was granted patent in 1855. Yet, although he hailed from a wealthy Piedmontese family in Novara, he did not have the opportunity in pre-unification Italy to manufacture the device on a commercial scale. As a result, the invention of the typewriter is most commonly credited to Christopher Latham Sholes, an American inventor whose design was not patented until 1868, yet had many of the characteristics of Ravizza’s Cembalo Scrivano.  The American machine was eventually manufactured at scale by E Remington and Sons in 1873.  Read more…

Charles Atlas - bodybuilder

Poor immigrant from Calabria who transformed his physique

The bodybuilder Charles Atlas was born Angelo Siciliano on this day in 1893 in the Calabrian town of Acri.  Set 720m above sea level straddling two hills in the province of Cosenza, on the edge of what is now the mountainous Sila National Park, Acri was a poor town. While Angelo was growing up his father, Santos, began thinking about joining the growing number of southern Italians who had gone to forge a new life in America. They made the move when Angelo was 11.  The journey by sea from Naples took around two weeks. After registering their arrival at Ellis Island, the immigrant inspection station in New York Bay, the family settled in Brooklyn.  Most accounts of Angelo’s life suggest that his father, a farmer, returned to Italy within a short time but his mother remained, taking work as a seamstress and endeavouring to make a better life for her children. Read more… 

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Antonino Votto – conductor

Outstanding operatic conductor made recordings with Callas

Operatic conductor Antonino Votto was born on this day in 1896 in Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna.  He became famous in the 1950s because he conducted the orchestra for the acclaimed recordings made by soprano Maria Callas for EMI.  Votto was also considered one of the leading operatic conductors of his time on account of his performances at La Scala in Milan, where he worked regularly for nearly 20 years.  After Votto had attended the Naples conservatory for his music studies he went to work at La Scala, where he became an assistant conductor to Arturo Toscanini.  He made his official debut there in 1923, leading a performance of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.  Votto went on to build a reputation as one of the most outstanding conductors of Italian opera, appearing at many other operatic venues in Italy and abroad.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: Luisa Spagnoli: 90 Years of Style, by Sofia Gnoli

For decades, Luisa Spagnoli has represented a confident, feminine woman, whose elegance is both modern and sophisticated, a style that is beloved by women of all ages, based on quality tailoring and must-have pieces. Luisa Spagnoli: 90 Years of Style presents the development of the brand through her signature accessories and iconic garments, with vintage and contemporary illustrations, sketches, drawings, and never-before-seen material from the extensive company archives. It pays tribute to the enterprising spirit of Luisa, who after co-founding the chocolatier Perugina and its hallmark Baci transformed her hobby of knitting with angora wool into a women’s clothing and accessories brand, which now boasts 170 outlets around the world. Luisa Spagnoli's brand was popular with Hollywood stars working in Rome, such as Esther Williams and Lana Turner, and Italian actresses, such as Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. Nowadays, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has been photographed wearing Luisa Spagnoli creations. Based on an ethical work plan, business acumen, the ability to evolve over time, and a pioneering approach to marketing, the Luisa Spagnoli brand is a unique element of the Italian fashion scene. This book was published to mark 90 years of success.

Sofia Gnoli is a fashion historian and journalist. She teaches history of fashion at La Sapienza Universita in Rome. She is a contributing fashion editor of La Repubblica and Il Venerdi di Repubblica. Her other publications include The Origins of Italian Fashion, 1900-1945. 

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29 October

NEW - Rino Gaetano - singer-songwriter

Famed for raspy voice and lyrics rich in satire and social commentary

The singer-songwriter Rino Gaetano, who enjoyed great popularity in the 1970s before his tragic death in a car crash at the age of just 31, was born on this day in 1950 in Crotone, a coastal city in Calabria.  Gaetano’s irreverent style and the sometimes controversially satirical nature of his songs meant his talent was slow to be recognised but his breakthrough single of 1975, Ma il cielo è sempre più blu - But the Sky is Always Bluer - brought him success, selling more than 100,000 copies. His subsequent albums - Mio fratello è figlio unico (My Brother is an Only Child) and Aida - cemented his reputation as one of finest Italian songwriters of his generation. His simple lyrics set to catchy tunes were a vehicle for piercing social and political commentary, with which many ordinary Italians easily identified. Read more…

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Carlo Emanuele Ruspoli – Duke of Morignano

Noble architect is now a prolific writer

Carlo Emanuele Maria Ruspoli was born on this day in 1949 in Rome.  He became the third Duke of Morignano in 2003, succeeding his father, Prince Galeazzo Ruspoli. Carlo had previously graduated as a Doctor of Architecture from the Sapienza University of Rome and he now works as a researcher and writer.  He is a prolific author of works on history and anthropology as well as historical novels, drawing on his own family heritage and his fascination with the East.  The House of Ruspoli is one of the great aristocratic families of Rome and all members hold the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire.  The family’s origins can be traced back to their ancestor, Marius Scotus, in the eighth century, the Ruspoli family of Florence in the 13th century, and the Marescotti family of Bologna.  A branch of the Ruspoli family moved to Rome in the 17th century.  Read more...

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Fabiola Gianotti - particle physicist

First woman to be director-general of CERN

The particle physicist Fabiola Gianotti, who in 2016 became the first woman to be made director-general in the 64-year history of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, was born on this day in 1960 in Rome. She led one of the two teams of physicists working for the organisation - generally known as CERN after its title in French - whose experiments in 2012 resulted in the discovery of the Higgs boson, the particle that explains why some other elementary particles have mass.  The discovery was regarded as so significant in the advancement of scientific knowledge that it was nicknamed the “God particle.”  As the project leader and spokesperson of the ATLAS project at CERN, which involved a collaboration of around 3,000 physicists from 38 countries, Dr. Gianotti announced the discovery of the particle.  Read more…

King appoints Mussolini Prime Minister

Victor Emmanuel turned to Fascist leader after fearing civil war

Victor Emmanuel III, the king of Italy, invited Benito Mussolini to become Prime Minister on this day in 1922, ushering in the era of Fascist rule in Italy.  History has largely perceived the decision as a moment of weakness on the part of the king, a man of small physical stature who had never been particularly comfortable in his role.  Yet at the time, with violent clashes between socialist supporters and Mussolini’s Blackshirts occurring almost daily with both sides bent on revolution, Victor Emmanuel feared that Italy was on the brink of civil war.  The First World War had been financially crippling for Italy, even though they had emerged with a victory of sorts in that the Austro-Hungarians were finally pushed out of northern Italy.  In the poverty that followed, the country shifted to the left and in the 1919 general election the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) gained 32 per cent of the vote. Read more…

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Franco Corelli - 'Prince of Tenors'

Self-taught singer who wowed New York

The great Italian tenor Franco Corelli died in Milan on this day in 2003 aged 82 after suffering heart problems.  Corelli was renowned for the power and vibrancy of his voice, described by some as generating a 'white heat' on the stage when he performed.  In a career spanning more than a quarter of a century he mastered all the major tenor roles and appeared at the greatest opera theatres in the world.  He was a fixture at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he performed 19 roles over 15 seasons in some 365 appearances.  As well as possessing outstanding vocal range, he used his natural assets – he stood 6ft 1ins tall and weighed 200lbs – to develop a charismatic stage presence.  Blessed with movie star looks, he had the appearance of an opera-singing Errol Flynn. He was nicknamed the 'Prince of Tenors'.  Corelli was born in 1921 in Ancona on Italy’s Adriatic coast. Read more…

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Book of the Day: From the Chanson Française to the Canzone d’Autore in the 1960s and 1970s: Authenticity, Authority, Influence, by Rachel Haworth

The similarities between the chanson française and the canzone d'autore have been often noted but never fully explored. Both genres are national forms which involve the figure of the singer-songwriter, both experienced their golden age of production in the post-World War II period and both are enduringly popular, still accounting for a large proportion of record sales in their respective countries. Rachel Haworth looks beyond these superficial similarities, and investigates the nature of the relationship between the two genres. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing textual analysis of song lyrics, cultural history and popular music studies, Haworth considers the different ways in which French and Italian song is thought about, written about and constructed. Through an in-depth study of the discourse surrounding chanson and the canzone d'autore, From the Chanson Française to the Canzone d'Autore analyses the development of the genres' rules and rhetoric, identifying the key themes of authority, authenticity and influence. The book finally considers the legacy of major artists, looking at modern perspectives on Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Fabrizio De André and Giorgio Gaber, ultimately affording a deeper understanding of the notions of quality and value in the context of chanson française and the canzone d'autore.

Rachel Haworth is Lecturer in Italian at the University of Hull. She has published work on various aspects of French and Italian popular music from the 1950s and 1960s. Her research explores questions of gender, performance, stardom, legitimation, and value in post-war Italian and French popular music.

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Rino Gaetano - singer-songwriter

Famed for raspy voice and lyrics rich in satire and social commentary

Rino Gaetano enjoyed a breakthrough in
1975 with Ma il cielo è sempre più blu 

The singer-songwriter Rino Gaetano, who enjoyed great popularity in the 1970s before his tragic death in a car crash at the age of just 31, was born on this day in 1950 in Crotone, a coastal city in Calabria.

Gaetano’s irreverent style and the sometimes controversially satirical nature of his songs meant his talent was slow to be recognised but his breakthrough single of 1975, Ma il cielo è sempre più blu - But the Sky is Always Bluer - brought him success, selling more than 100,000 copies.

His subsequent albums - Mio fratello è figlio unico (My Brother is an Only Child) and Aida - cemented his reputation as one of finest Italian songwriters of his generation. His simple lyrics set to catchy tunes were a vehicle for piercing social and political commentary, with which many ordinary Italians easily identified.

His performance at the 1978 Sanremo Music Festival caused a sensation both for his attire and for the nature of his song, Gianna. In an era when many artists still sang in formal dress, Gaetano went onstage in red sneakers, a top hat and a tailcoat adorned with medals, while Gianna was the first song in the history of the competition to include the word “sex” in the lyrics.

It finished third, nonetheless, and brought him another hit, although he later said he regretted entering as he considered the song too commercial.

Although born on Calabria’s Ionian Sea coast, Gaetano grew up in Rome from the age of 10 after his parents moved to the capital in search of work.  Settling in the Monte Sacro quarter in the northeast of the city, they became the live-in janitors of an apartment building on Via Nomentana, his father doubling as a hotel handyman while his mother took a day job in a dry cleaner’s. 

Born Salvatore Antonio, Gaetano was known as Salvatorino - ‘little Salvatore’ - within his family. It was his sister, Anna, who shortened it to ‘Rino’, which eventually stuck.

After less than a year in Rome, he was sent away to study at a seminary 80km (48 miles) away in Narni in Umbria, although there was never any intention that he would pursue a religious vocation. His parents had felt, though, that the seminary would give him a good quality of education. Instead, his teachers noted that he seemed more interested in writing poems, composing melodies and performing sketches for the amusement of his classmates than studying theology.

Gaetano performing at the 1978 Sanremo Music
Festival, where his song, Gianna, finished third

When he returned to Monte Sacro in 1967, his father was keen to steer him towards a career in banking, enrolling him at an accountancy college. However, the young Rino had his eyes by now on becoming a performer. He and three friends formed a group, called The Krouks. They mainly played cover versions of songs made famous by other artists, but would occasionally perform one of Gaetano’s own compositions.

His fascination with the Rome music scene drew him to Folkstudio, the club in the Trastevere district where his contemporaries included Antonello Venditti and Francesco De Gregori, two young singers who would both become major stars in Italy.  He and Venditti would sometimes perform together.

Blessed with a talent for acting, too, Gaetano mixed his music with performing on stage in local theatre productions, including a performance of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, in which he played the role of Estragon. 

At the same time, he became fascinated with German kabarett, a version of the entertainment form in which the artists dedicate themselves largely to political and social topics, at which they poke fun using cynicism, sarcasm and irony. This, clearly, was a major influence on his own style.

In 1972, Venditti introduced him to Vincenzo Micocci, the owner of a record label, and the following year recorded his first single, I Love You Marianna. Clearly not confident in its success, he released it under a pseudonym and even asked Micocci if it ought to be sung by someone with a better voice.

Antonello Venditti sometimes played
alongside Gaetano at Rome's Folkstudio

But Micocci had a hunch that Gaetano’s raspy, gravelly delivery might become a distinctive hallmark and insisted he sang. It was successful enough to spawn a first album, Ingresso libero. 

It was the first of six studio albums in as many years, which were accompanied by 10 singles.  All were characterised by sharp social or political commentaries, sometimes including unflattering references to named politicians or prominent figures in the Catholic Church.

Known for his generosity, Gaetano used his first significant earnings to buy his parents an apartment and a car for himself. He made plans to marry his long-time girlfriend, Amelia Conte, whom he had met as a student.

Tragedy struck a month before their scheduled wedding, in the early hours of June 2, 1981, when his car collided with a delivery truck on Via Nomentana, the driver of which believed that Gaetano collapsed at the wheel moments before the impact.

The singer might have survived but among his injuries was a fracture at the base of the skull and other head wounds. The hospital to which he was first taken was not equipped to deal with cranial injuries and four others also turned him down. By the time he was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital at 6am - three hours after the accident - it was too late. In a coma, he died shortly afterwards.

Chillingly, Gaetano’s death echoed lyrics of a song he had written 10 years earlier, without publishing, about the death of a boy hit by a car who was also turned away by several Rome hospitals through lack of beds or treatment facilities. Gaetano had intended the song to highlight the poor state of health provision in the capital. 

His funeral took place in the Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, in the Ponte rione of central Rome, where he had been due to be married. His body was initially buried in the small cemetery of Mentana, the town outside Rome where he had bought a house with his fiancée, Amelia, but later transferred to Rome’s Verano monumental cemetery.

Crotone is city and resort that enjoys a beautiful
 location on southern Italy's Ionian coastline

Travel tip:

Crotone, where Rino Gaetano was born, is a coastal city in Calabria, facing the Ionian Sea. Founded by Greek colonists in the 8th century BC, it became one of the most powerful cities of Magna Graecia and famously hosted Pythagoras, who established his renowned school of philosophy and mathematics here. It became one of the most flourishing cities of Magna Graecia reaching a population between 50,000 and 80,000 around 500 BC, not dissimilar to that of today. Crotone’s historic centre features a labyrinth of narrow streets, traditional buildings and lively piazzas.  Key attractions include the imposing 16th-century Charles V Castle, built by the Spanish King of Naples, which dominates the old town, and the National Archaeological Museum. Visitors can stroll along the vibrant lungomare promenade or take a short trip to Capo Colonna to see the lone surviving column of the Temple of Hera Lacinia. A gold tiara unearthed at the 2,500-year old temple is on display at the National Archaeological Museum. Farther south is the Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area, with seagrass forests, barracudas and starfish.

Find Crotone hotels with Expedia

Piazza Sempione in Monte Sacro, the leafy residential
quarter where Rino Gaetano lived for most of his life

Travel tip:

Monte Sacro is a residential quarter in northeastern Rome, positioned along the banks of the winding Aniene River.  The area takes its name from the sacred hill, Mons Sacer, where in 494BC Rome's plebeians staged a famous secession against patrician rule to secure their civil rights. Centuries later, in 1805, the South American liberator Simón Bolívar stood on this very same hill and swore his historic oath to free his homeland from Spanish rule.  The gateway to the neighborhood is the Ponte Nomentano, a magnificent Roman-era bridge. Originally constructed with a grand travertine arch, it was fortified in the Middle Ages with defensive castle-like towers.  Modern Monte Sacro took shape in the 1920s when architect Gustavo Giovannoni designed it as a Città Giardino - Garden City. With the Piazza Sempione and the striking Church of the Holy Guardian Angels at its heart, the district features curving, tree-lined streets and elegant Art Nouveau villas. Today, Monte Sacro maintains an intimate, village-like character, where craft beer bars, neighbourhood trattorias, and peaceful green spaces such as the Aniene Valley Nature Reserve thrive far away from the typical tourist crowds.

Stay in the Monte Sacro quarter with Hotels.com

More reading:

Antonello Venditti - still performing at 77

The singer Bob Dylan called ‘an Italian folk hero’

How Adriano Celentano became an Italian pop music icon

Also on this day:

1922: Mussolini appointed prime minister

1949: The birth of writer Carlo Emanuele Ruspoli

1960: The birth of particle physicist Fabiola Gianotti

2003: The death of tenor Franco Corelli

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28 October

Battle of the Milvian Bridge

How Christianity became official religion of the Roman Empire

Roman emperor Constantine defeated his rival Maxentius in a battle at the Milvian Bridge (Ponte Milvio), a vital point for crossing the River Tiber, on this day in 312 in Rome. The battle was a crucial moment in a civil war that ended with Constantine I as sole ruler of the Roman Empire and Christianity established as the empire’s official religion. The Roman Empire was being torn apart by different factions at war with each other at the beginning of the fourth century.  Although Constantine - known also as Constantine the Great - was declared Emperor at York in 306, his brother in law and rival, Maxentius, later claimed the imperial title in Rome.  In 312, Constantine led a force to march on Rome. Troops fighting for Maxentius lay in wait for them next to the River Tiber at Pons Milvius (Ponte Milvio), which had been partially dismantled. Read more…

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Sergio Tòfano – actor and illustrator

The many talents of stage and screen star

Comic actor, director, writer and illustrator Sergio Tòfano died on this day in 1973 in Rome.  He is remembered as an intelligent and versatile theatre and film actor and also as the creator of the much-loved cartoon character Signor Bonaventura, who entertained Italians for more than 40 years.  Tòfano was born in Rome in 1886, the son of a magistrate, and studied at the University of Rome and the Academy of Santa Cecilia. He made his first appearance on stage in 1909.  He soon specialised as a comic actor and worked with a string of famous directors including Luigi Almirante and Vittorio de Sica.  He became famous after his performance as Professor Toti in Luigi Pirandello’s comic play, Pensaci, Giacomino!   Also a talented artist and writer, Tòfano invented his cartoon character Signor Bonaventura for the children’s magazine, Il Corriere dei Piccoli, signing himself as Sto. Read more…

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The March on Rome

The insurrection that put Fascists in power

The March on Rome that resulted in Benito Mussolini’s Fascist party taking control of the Italian government took place on this day 100 years ago in 1922.  A mob comprising members of Mussolini’s Blackshirt militia and other party supporters converged on the city. At the same time, other Blackshirt groups were capturing strategic locations throughout Italy.  Italy’s Liberal prime minister, Luigi Facta, wanted to deploy the army to put down the insurrection. He hastened to the Palazzo Quirinale to see the king, Victor Emmanuel III, and asked him to sign a decree of martial law so that he could put Rome in a state of siege.  At first, the monarch was prepared to grant his request, but after giving it more thought he changed his mind, much to Facta’s consternation. Instead, the Blackshirt mob were allowed to enter Rome unchallenged. Read more…

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Eros Ramazzotti - singer-songwriter

Best-selling Italian star has enduring appeal

The best-selling Italian singer and songwriter Eros Ramazzotti was born on this day in 1963 in Rome.  Ramazzotti, whose style has developed from pure pop to a contemporary soft rock genre with elements of classical crossover, has sold around 65 million records in a career spanning almost 40 years, putting him among the top 12 Italian recording artists of all time.  He is popular throughout Europe and in Spanish-speaking countries in South America, so much so that he records most of his albums in Spanish as well as Italian.  Among his 13 studio albums, three compilations and six live albums, 12 have reached No 1 in the Italian charts and 10 in the Swiss charts.  In addition, Ramazzotti has had No 1s in Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Sweden.  Twice - with 9 in 2003 and e2 in 2007 – he sold more records in that year in Italy than any other artist. Read more…

Ulisse Dini – mathematician and politician

Patriotic professor was proud to serve the new Kingdom of Italy

The mathematician Ulisse Dini, who wrote many books and papers based on his research and came up with original theories that advanced the knowledge in his field, died on this day in 1918 in Pisa.  Now regarded as one of the most important European mathematicians of the 19th century, Dini was also active as a politician and was elected to Pisa city council before becoming a member of the parliament of the new Kingdom of Italy. His political views were shaped by the changing landscape of Italy while he was growing up, as the country moved closer to unification, and he was always keen to help his local area and his country.  Originally intending to become a teacher, Dini, who was born in Pisa in 1845 when the city was part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, attended the Scuola Superiore in Pisa, a teachers’ college. Read more…

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Stefano Landi – composer

Musician whose works influenced development of opera

Stefano Landi, an influential early composer of opera, died on this day in 1639 in Rome.  He wrote his most famous opera, Sant’Alessio, in 1632, which was the earliest to be about a historical subject, describing the life of the 4th century monastic, Saint Alexis.  It was also notable for Landi interspersing comic scenes drawn from the contemporary life of Rome in the 17th century.  Born in Rome, Landi had joined the Collegio Germanico as a boy soprano in 1595.  He took minor orders in 1599 and began studying at the Seminario Romano in 1602. He is mentioned in the Seminary’s records as being an organist and singer in 1611.  By 1618 he had moved to northern Italy and he published a book of five-voice madrigals in Venice. He wrote his first opera while in Padua, La morte d’Orfeo, which was probably part of the festivities for a wedding.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: Constantine at the Bridge: How the Battle of the Milvian Bridge Created Christian Rome, by Stephen Dando-Collins

The AD 312 Battle of the Milvian Bridge, just outside Rome, marked the start of a monumental change for Rome and her empire. This battle was the figurative bridge between old pagan Rome and new Christian Rome. And once Constantine had crossed that bridge, there was no turning back. After winning this battle against his brother-in-law Maxentius and taking power at Rome, Constantine the Great—strongly influenced by his mother—forcefully steered Romans away from the traditional worship of their classical gods toward Christianity, setting Rome on two paths: the adoption of Christianity as the state religion, and the relegation of the city of Rome to obscurity. Constantine at the Bridge is an engaging and beautifully written study of a pivotal moment in Roman and European history.as the Western Roman Empire collapsed within 175 years. 

Stephen Dando-Collins is the award-winning author of nearly 50 books, including children's novels and biographies. The majority of his works deal with military history ranging from Greek and Roman times to American 19th-century history and World War I and World War II.

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