18 February 2019

18 February

Roberta Vinci - tennis champion


Won five Grand Slam doubles titles with partner Sara Errani

The tennis player Roberta Vinci, one half of the most successful Italian women’s doubles partnerships of all time, was born on this day in 1983 in Taranto in Puglia.  Vinci and partner Sara Errani were the champions at the French Open and United States Open in 2012 and the Australian Open in 2013 and 2014 and Wimbledon in 2014. Vinci’s finest achievement in singles came at the US Open in 2015, when she defeated world No 1 Serena Williams in the semi-finals before losing to fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta in the final. Read more…

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Michelangelo – Renaissance painter and sculptor


‘Greatest artist of all time’ left amazing legacy of work

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni - universally known simply as Michelangelo - died on this day in 1564 in Rome. His death came three weeks before his 89th birthday while he was still working on his last sculpture, the Rondanini Pietà, a version of the Virgin Mary with the body of the dead Christ. As a sculptor, painter, architect and poet, Michelangelo exerted an enormous influence on the development of art and he is considered to be one of the greatest - if not the greatest - artists of all time. Read more…

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Roberto Baggio - football icon


Azzurri star regarded as Italy's greatest player

The footballer Roberto Baggio, regarded by fans in Italy and around the world as one of the game's greatest players, was born on this day in 1967 in a small town north of Vicenza. Baggio, who won the Serie A title twice and played in three World Cups, scored 318 goals in his career, the first Italian for 50 years to top 300, despite having six knee operations during his career.  But for his injuries, Baggio might have been placed in the same bracket as Pele, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi as the best players in history.  Read more…

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Blessed Fra Angelico – painter


Talented Friar became patron of Catholic artists

The early Renaissance painter Fra Angelico died on this day in 1455 in Rome.  Fra Angelico is regarded as one of the greatest painters of the 15th century, whose works reflected his serene religious attitude. In 1982, more than 500 years after his death, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in recognition of the holiness of his life. In 1984, Pope John Paul II declared him ‘patron of Catholic artists’.  Among his most famous works were the altarpieces and frescoes he painted for the Church and Priory of San Marco in Florence. Read more...

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