31 December

Giovanni Boldini – artist and portraitist

Sought-after painter who captured elegance of Belle Époque

Giovanni Boldini, whose sumptuous images of the rich and famous made him the most fashionable portrait painter in Paris during the Belle Époque era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was born in Ferrara on this day in 1842.  His subjects included some famous names, including the opera composer Giuseppe Verdi and the actress Sarah Bernhardt, and he had countless commissions from prominent individuals in Parisian society.  Boldini's skill was to capture his subject in soft-focus, elongating their features to accentuate beauty and creating a sense of motion in the figures so that they appeared to be both sophisticated and full of life.  He dressed his subjects in sumptuous gowns that would grace any fashion catwalk and society women in particular felt the need to confirm their status by having a Boldini portrait to show off to their friends. Read more…

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Giovanni Pascoli – poet

Painful childhood inspired great verse

Giovanni Placido Agostino Pascoli, who was regarded as the greatest Italian poet writing at the beginning of the 20th century, was born on this day in 1855 in San Mauro di Romagna, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia.  Pascoli’s poems in Latin won prizes and he was regarded by the writer Gabriele D’Annunzio as the finest Latin poet since the Augustan age, which lasted from approximately 43 BC to AD 18 and was thought to be the golden age of Latin literature.  Although Pascoli was the fourth of ten children, his family were comfortable financially and his father, Ruggero Pascoli, was administrator of an estate of farmland on which they lived.  But when Giovanni Pascoli was just 12 years old, his father, returning from Cesena in a carriage drawn by a black and white mare, was shot and killed by an assassin hiding in a ditch at the side of the road.  Read more…

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Festa di San Silvestro – Feast of Saint Sylvester

Celebrating with a meal of pork and lentils for a prosperous New Year

New Year’s Eve in Italy is known as the Festa di San Silvestro in memory of Pope Sylvester I who died on this day in 335 in Rome.  It is not a public holiday in Italy but in normal times it is a festive time everywhere, with firework displays, concerts and parties.  One custom still followed in some parts of Italy is throwing your old things out of the window at midnight to symbolise your readiness to accept the New Year.  Throughout Italy, bars and restaurants are busy with residents and visitors enjoying drinks and meals before seeing in the New Year in the main square when the bells ring at midnight.  Popular menu items include cotechino (Italian sausage), zampone (stuffed pig’s trotter) and lenticchie (lentils).  Pork is said to represent the fullness or richness of life, while lentils are supposed to symbolise wealth or money.  Read more…

Giovanni Michelucci - architect

Designer made mark with railway station and motorway church

The architect Giovanni Michelucci, whose major legacies include the Santa Maria Novella railway station in Florence, died on this day in 1990 in his studio just outside the Tuscan city at Fiesole.  Considered by many to be the 'father' of modern Italian architecture, he was only two days away from his 100th birthday.  He was still working and is said to have been inspecting progress on his latest project when he slipped and fell, later suffering a cardiac arrest.  Michelucci, who was born in Pistoia on January 2, 1891, is also remembered for the brilliantly unconventional church of San Giovanni Battista, with its tent-like curved roof, which forms part of a rest area on the Autostrada del Sole as it passes Florence.  The Santa Maria Novella station project for which he first won acclaim came after a collective of young architects known as the Tuscan Group, co-ordinated by Michelucci, beat more than 100 other entries in a national competition. Read more…

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Francesco Alberoni – sociologist

Academic explained the mystery of falling in love

Francesco Alberoni, who became a well-known sociologist because of his regular columns in Il Corriere della Sera, was born on this day in 1929 in Borgonovo Val Tidone in the province of Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna.  Alberoni was successful with the short books he wrote on the themes of love, good and evil, and ethics, and his work explored the dynamics of social relations. In 1979 he produced a bestseller, Innamoramento e amore (Falling in Love).  He was the descendant of a famous Cardinal from Piacenza, Giulio Alberoni, who was active in European diplomatic circles in the 17th century.  But his own upbringing was during the Fascist era in Italy and while he studied at the Liceo Scientifico in Piacenza, he claims he was subjected to military-style discipline.  Alberoni moved to Pavia to study medicine, where he met the Capuchin friar, Agostino Gemelli, who encouraged him to pursue his interest in the study of social behaviour.  Read more…

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Eleonora Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino

Image of wise ruler has been preserved in paintings

Eleonora Gonzaga, a noblewoman who was painted four times by Titian, was born on this day in 1493 in Mantua.  When she was 15 she married Francesco Maria I della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, the 16-year-old nephew of Pope Julius II and the marriage was celebrated at the Vatican in Rome.  Eleonora, along with the dowager duchess, Elisabetta Montefeltro, became largely responsible for the internal government of the duchy because Francesco was a captain in the papal army and often absent from Urbino. She also became an important patron of the arts.  Eleonora was the eldest of the seven children of Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua and Isabella d’Este. Although her father was a notorious libertine, her mother was also famous for being a patron of the arts. As a result, Eleonora was well educated in reading, writing, Latin, music and needlework. Read more…

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Book of the Day: City of Light, City of Shadows: Paris in the Belle Époque, by Mike Rapport

Paris in the Belle Époque is remembered as a golden age of cultural flourishing and political progress. The time between the revolutionary 1870s and the outbreak of war in 1914 saw the modern French capital take shape: by day Parisians could admire the rising Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Coeur Basilica, while at night they roamed the Bohemian world of the Moulin Rouge.  But, as Mike Rapport reveals in this authoritative and beautifully written history, beneath its elegant veneer Paris was at war with itself. The Belle Époque was also an era of social and religious unrest, women's emancipation and violent clashes over what it meant to be French.  Paris pulsated with the pleasures and anxieties of modernity: blazing electric lights illuminating the night, the first cars speeding down the boulevards, as well as the first Métro trains and plane flights. At the same time reactionary forces reasserted themselves-mostly dramatically in the infamous Dreyfus affair. Told through the eyes of the greatest personalities of the age - novelist Émile Zola, feminist activist Marguerite Durand, Vietnamese diplomat Nguyen Trang Hp and socialist politician Jean Jaurès - City of Light, City of Shadows weaves together stories of splendour and suffering, delight and agony.

Dr Mike Rapport is Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Stirling, where he teaches European history.

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30 December

Galeazzo Alessi – architect

Brilliant designer left legacy of beautiful palaces and churches

Italian architect Galeazzo Alessi, who designed some of the most impressive buildings in Genoa and Assisi, died on this day in 1572.  Born in Perugia in 1512, Alessi studied drawing for both civil and military architecture and developed great enthusiasm for ancient architecture, although he was also later influenced by Michelangelo.  He became known throughout Europe for his distinctive style and towards the end of his career was commissioned to design churches and palaces in France, Germany, Belgium and Spain.  A lot of his work can still be seen in Perugia and Assisi, where, in collaboration with another architect, Alessi designed the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in 1568.  In Genoa he designed some of the beautiful palaces with ornate decoration that have now been listed as Unesco world heritage sites and he was involved in planning the lay-out of the streets and the restoration of the city walls.  Read more…

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Titus – Roman emperor

'Good' ruler who helped victims of Vesuvius eruption

The Roman emperor Titus was born Titus Flavius Vespasianus on this day in AD 39.  He was emperor from 79 to 81 and is remembered for capturing Jerusalem and for completing the Colosseum in Rome.  Two months after his accession, on August 24, 79, Mount Vesuvius in Campania began erupting, eventually killing thousands of people around Pompeii and Herculaneum.  Titus appointed officials to coordinate the relief effort, while donating large amounts of money from the imperial treasury to aid the victims. He visited Pompeii twice.  Titus was a member of the Flavian dynasty and succeeded his father Vespasian after his death, becoming the first Roman emperor to come to the throne after his biological father.  Titus was believed to have been born in Rome on December 30, 39, the eldest son of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, who was commonly known as Vespasian.  Read more…

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For a Few Dollars More released in Italy

Second in Spaghetti Western trilogy

The movie For a Few Dollars More, the second in what became known as the Dollars Trilogy of Spaghetti Westerns, was released for public viewing in Italy on this day in 1965.  Directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name, the film followed the unexpected success of the low-budget feature A Fistful of Dollars, released 15 months earlier, which overcame poor initial reviews to become, for a time, the biggest-grossing movie in Italian cinema history.  Released for Italian audiences as Per Qualche Dollaro in Più, the follow-up proved even more commercially successful than its predecessor. By 1967, it had displaced A Fistful of Dollars as the highest-grossing Italian production, generating 3.1 billion lire ($5 million) in ticket sales from more than 14 and a half million admissions.  Read more…

Camila Giorgi - tennis player

Former Italian No 1 who specialised in beating big names

The former tennis player Camila Giorgi, who at her peak climbed to 26 in the world rankings and was Italy's No 1 female player, was born on this day in 1991 in Macerata, a city in the Marche region.  At the time, there was no other Italian woman in the top 100 Women's Tennis Association world rankings.  The breakthrough year for Giorgi came in 2018, when she reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam event for the only time, at the Wimbledon Championships in London.  Giorgi was not seeded but after defeating 21st seed Anastasija Sevastova in the first round, she advanced through her section of the draw with three more victories, culminating in a straight-sets win over former world No 8 Ekaterina Makarova in the fourth round.  That earned Giorgi a last-eight meeting with seven-times Wimbledon champion and world record grand slam winner Serena Williams.  Read more…

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Alessandra Mussolini – politician

Controversial granddaughter of Fascist dictator

The MEP Alessandra Mussolini, niece of actress Sophia Loren and granddaughter of Italy’s former Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, was born on this day in 1962 in Rome.  Formerly an actress and model, Mussolini entered politics in the early 1990s as a member of the neofascist Movimento Sociale Italiano, which had its roots in the Italian Social Republic, the German puppet state led by her grandfather from September 1943 until his death in April 1945.  Her views have changed in more recent years and she has become known for embracing modern issues including abortion, artificial insemination, gay rights and civil unions from a progressive standpoint that has more in common with left-wing feminism.  She has left behind her association with the far right and serves in the European Parliament as representative for Central Italy under a centre-right Forza Italia ticket.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: Lonely Planet Pocket Genoa & Cinque Terre, by Brendan Sainsbury

Discover twice the place in half the time as Lonely Planet's local travel experts reveal all you need to know to plan the ultimate short trip to Genoa and Cinque Terre.  This latest edition uncovers Genoa and Cinque Terre's most popular experiences and unexpected surprises from stopping mid-hike in the terraced vineyards of Cantina Capellini for a plate of bruschette with a view, to kayaking out of Riomaggiore to see all five Cinque Terre villages, and calling into the Museo Archeologico e della Città to see some of Liguria’s oldest finds.  This updated 2025 edition includes exciting ‘Three Perfect Days’ itineraries, how to eat, drink and shop like a local, walking tours in every chapter, and fresh takes on must-visit sights including Musei di Strada Nuova, Palazzo Reale, and Porto Venere. The guide covers Genoa; Portofino to Levanto; Monterosso al Mare; Vernazza; Corniglia; Manarola; Riomaggiore; La Spezia & the Bay of Poets.

Brendan Sainsbury is a British writer who has been a resident of British Columbia, Canada, since 2004. He has written 60 Lonely Planet guidebooks, specialising in Cuba, Andalucia, Italy, Colombia and Alaska.

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29 December

The opening of Venice’s historic Caffè Florian

Meeting place on St Mark’s Square became an institution

Venice’s famous Caffè Florian opened its doors for the first time on this day in 1720.  Florian’s nowadays occupies a long stretch of the arcades on the southern side of Piazza San Marco, its seats stretching out across the square with a permanent orchestra in residence to entertain clients. Yet the original consisted of just two rooms.  It was officially given the grand title of Alla Venezia Trionfante (“To Triumphant Venice”), but soon became known as Florian’s after the owner, Floriano Francesconi.  The cafè’s 301-year history makes it the oldest still-active coffee house in Italy and the second oldest in Europe behind the Café Procope in Paris, which was founded in 1686.  Florian’s soon became a fashionable meeting place for Venetian society, especially its writers. Its 18th century clientele included Venetian playwright and librettist Carlo Goldoni, German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the writer and adventurer Giacomo Casanova. Read more…

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Gaetano Russo - sculptor

Creator of New York’s Christopher Columbus Monument

The sculptor Gaetano Russo, famous for having created the monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus at Columbus Circle in New York, was born on this day in 1847 in the Sicilian city of Messina.  Russo’s 13ft (3.96m) statue of the 15th century Genoese explorer, carved from a block of Carrara marble, stands on top of a 70ft (21.3m) granite column, decorated with bronze reliefs depicting the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, Columbus’s three caravel sailing ships.  At the foot of the column there is an angel holding the globe.  Unveiled on October 12, 1892 on the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the Americas, the statue was a gift to the city from New York’s Italian-American community, funded by a campaign by an Italian-language newspaper, Il Progresso.  For the laying of the statue’s cornerstone, a procession took place from Little Italy.  Read more…

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The Battle of San Mauro

Defeat that ended Sicily’s separatist ambitions  

Soldiers from the Italian army, bolstered by Carabinieri officers, decisively defeated the paramilitaries of the clandestine Volunteer Army for the Independence of Sicily at what became known as the Battle of San Mauro on this day in 1945.  The confrontation, which took place in the hills above the city of Caltagirone in southeast Sicily, concluded with the arrest of Concetto Gallo, commander of the paramilitary group, and the effective end of the movement for Sicilian independence that grew during the Allied military occupation of the island in World War Two.  The Volunteer Army (EVIS) had formed in February 1945 as a secret paramilitary wing of the Movimento per l'Indipendenza della Sicilia (MIS), a political party launched in 1943 with the aim of achieving independence for the island.  The party brought together individuals from across the political spectrum in Sicily. Read more…

Luigi Olivari – flying ace

First World War pilot claimed 19 victories

Lieutenant Luigi Olivari, a pilot in the military aviation corps of the Royal Italian Army who was decorated with a string of awards for valour in action, was born on this day in 1891 in La Spezia, the maritime city on the coast of what is now Liguria.  Olivari became a proficient aerial duellist, claiming to have downed 19 enemy aircraft as Italian planes took on Austro-Hungarian opponents after Italy had joined the war on the side of the Triple Entente of Britain, France and Russia.  Only eight of these were confirmed, yet Olivari was awarded four silver and two bronze medals for valour by the Italian government, as well as the French Croix de guerre and the Serbian Order of the Star of Karadorde.  The last of his silver medals was awarded posthumously after he was killed on October 13, 1917 when his Spad VII aircraft stalled and crashed during take-off. Read more…

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Tullio Levi-Civita – mathematician

Professor from Padua who was admired by Einstein

Tullio Levi-Civita, the mathematician renowned for his work in differential calculus and relativity theory, died on this day in 1941 in Rome.  With the collaboration of Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, his professor at the University of Padua, Levi-Civita wrote a pioneering work on the calculus of tensors. Albert Einstein is said to have used this work as a resource in the development of the theory of general relativity.  Levi-Civita corresponded with Einstein about his theory of relativity between 1915 and 1917 and the letters he received from Einstein, carefully kept by Levi-Civita, show how much the two men respected each other.  Years later, when asked what he liked best about Italy, Einstein is reputed to have said ‘spaghetti and Levi-Civita.’  The mathematician, who was born into an Italian Jewish family in Padua in 1873, became an instructor at the University of Padua in 1898. Read more…

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Stefano Eranio – footballer

Fast forward made his mark in England’s Premier League

Italy international footballer Stefano Eranio was born on this day in 1966 in Genoa, the main city of Liguria.  He represented his country 20 times between 1990 and 1997 but is most remembered for his playing career with AC Milan and Genoa.  A midfield player or wing-back, Eranio had brilliant technique, good pace and the ability to make attacking runs.  Towards the end of his career he played in the English Premier League for Derby County and was made an official ‘Derby Legend’ in 2006.  Eranio began his career with Genoa in 1984.  He played for them for eight seasons before moving to A C Milan in 1992.  At Milan he won three league titles, three Italian Super Cups and played in two Champions League finals.  Eranio’s first international goal was against the Netherlands in 1992 when Italy won the match 3-2.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: The Infinite Emotions of Coffee, by Alon Halevy

The Infinite Emotions of Coffee provides a contemporary prism of the drink that so much of the world takes for granted every morning. Technopreneur Halevy's travels to more than 30 countries on six continents shed light on how coffee has shaped and is influenced by different cultures through the bean's centuries-spanning journey of serendipity, intrigue, upheavals, revival, romance and passion. With more than three years of field research, over 180 colour photographs, and richly illustrated infographics, this book is an immersive experience that brings alive the enduring allure of coffee and the nuanced emotions of both tradition-bound and avant-garde cafe cultures. Written in an engaging narrative, this travelogue entertains through numerous coffee-related tales from around the world. It celebrates all parts of the inextricably linked global coffee ecosystem, from growers, importers, and roasters to baristas and consumers. Readers will learn about the rich, mysterious and often amusing history of coffee; discover the latest hotbeds of coffee and the complex issues facing the coffee industry today; and meet the worldwide network of inspiringly spirited and passionately committed professionals whose relentless pursuit of excellence are pushing coffee to unprecedented levels of quality.

Alon Halevy leads Google's database research group in Mountain View, California. Prior to joining Google, he was a professor of Computer Science at the University of Washington in Seattle, and an entrepreneur.

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28 December

Battle of Ortona 

Adriatic port liberated by Canadians at huge cost

Canadian troops fighting with the Allies liberated the Adriatic port of Ortona from the Germans on this day in 1943 after one of the bloodiest battles of the Italian Campaign.  The Battle of Ortona and other confrontations close to the nearby Moro river, which encompassed the whole Christmas period, claimed almost 2,400 lives.  It was characterised by brutal close-quarters fighting and is sometimes known as “the Italian Stalingrad”, partly because of the high number of casualties but also because of the backcloth of destroyed buildings and rubble.  Although the battalions of German paratroopers holding the strategic port were defeated, casualties on the Canadian side were greater, with 1,375 soldiers from the Canadian 1st Infantry Division killed and 964 wounded, against 867 Germans killed.  In addition, more than 1,300 civilians died.  Read more…

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Francesco Tamagno - operatic tenor

19th century star was first to sing Verdi’s Otello

The operatic tenor Francesco Tamagno, most famous for singing the title role at the premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello at Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1887, was born on this day in 1850 in Turin.  Tamagno, whose powerful voice and range put him in a category of singers known as heroic tenors by being naturally suited to heroic roles, developed a reputation that enabled him to command high fees around the world and amass a considerable fortune.  During a career that spanned 32 years from his debut in 1873 to his premature death at the age of 54, Tamagno sang in some 55 operas and sacred works in 26 countries.  In addition to his association with Otello, he also was the first Gabriele Adorno in Verdi's 1881 revision of Simon Boccanegra, and appeared in the premiere of Verdi's Italian-language version of Don Carlos when it was staged at La Scala in 1884.  Read more…

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Italy's worst earthquake

Catastrophic tremor of 1908 may have killed up to 200,000

The most destructive earthquake ever to strike Europe brought devastation to the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria on this day in 1908, killing perhaps as many as 200,000 people.  With its epicentre beneath the Strait of Messina, which separates Sicily from the Italian mainland, the quake had a magnitude of 7.1 and caused the ground to shake for between 30 and 40 seconds.  It was enough to cause such catastrophic damage that Messina, on the Sicilian side, and Reggio Calabria, on the mainland side, were almost completely destroyed.  The loss of life was huge because the earthquake happened at 5.21am, when most residents were still in bed.  An unknown number were swept away by the tsunami that struck both cities 10 minutes after the major tremor had stopped, when the sea on both sides of the Strait receded up to 70 metres and then rushed back towards the land, generating waves up to 12 metres (39 feet) tall. Read more…

Piero the Unfortunate – Medici ruler

Ill-fated son of Lorenzo the Magnificent

Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici, later dubbed Piero the Unfortunate or The Fatuous, died on this day in 1503, drowning in the Garigliano river, south of Rome, as he attempted to flee following a military defeat.  The eldest son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Piero was handed power in Florence at the age of 21 following the death of his father.  He was a physically handsome young man who had been educated specifically so that he would be ready to succeed his father as head of the Medici family and de facto ruler of Florence.  Yet he turned out to be a feeble, ill-disciplined character who was not suited to leadership and who earned his unflattering soubriquet on account of his poor judgment in military and political matters, which ultimately led to the Medici family being exiled from Florence.  Piero took over as leader of Florence in 1492.  Read more…

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The Cervi brothers - partisans

Anti-Fascists murdered by Nazi firing squad

Seven brothers belonging to a single family from the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia were shot dead by a firing squad on this day in 1943 in a massacre that has since become a symbol of Italian resistance to authoritarian rule and the overthrow of Fascism.  The Fratelli Cervi - Cervi brothers - the seven sons of a militant communist tenant farmer called Alcide Cervi, had been in prison for more than a month on suspicion of anti-Fascist activity following a raid on the family farm at Praticello di Gattatico, a village about 15km (nine miles) northwest of Reggio Emilia.  They were taken at dawn on 28 December to the city’s shooting range, where soldiers loyal to Benito Mussolini’s Italian Social Republic lined them up against a wall and shot them dead, it is thought in reprisal for the murder of two Fascist officials.  Read more…

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Death of Victor Emmanuel III

King loses his life after just 18 months in exile 

Victor Emmanuel III, Italy’s longest reigning king, died on this day in 1947.  The previous year he had abdicated his throne in favour of his son, King Umberto II.  Victor Emmanuel III had been hoping this would strengthen support for the monarchy in advance of the referendum asking the country if they wanted to abolish it.  Earlier in his reign he had been popular with the people and respected for his military success, but opinion changed after the Second World War.  Vittorio Emanuele III di Savoia was born in Naples in 1869. The only child of King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy, he was given the title of Prince of Naples.  He became King of Italy in 1900 after his father was assassinated in Monza.  At the height of his popularity he was nicknamed by the Italians Re soldato (soldier King) and Re vittorioso (victorious King) because of Italy’s success in battle during the First World War.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: The Winter Campaign in Italy 1943: Orsogna, San Pietro and Ortona, by Pier Paolo Battistelli. Illustrated by Johnny Shumate

After repulsing the German counter-attack at Salerno in September 1943, the US Fifth Army and British Eighth Army advanced up the Italian Peninsula. By October, the Allied armies had reached the Volturno Line, forcing a critical decision in German strategy: a prolonged defence would be conducted in southern Italy, contesting the Allied advance using the complex terrain features. By mid-November, the two Allied armies were approaching the German defensive lines along the Garigliano and the Sangro rivers. Here, US 5th Army would attack through the Mignano gap towards San Pietro Infine, while British Eighth Army would seize Ortona on the Adriatic coast and Orsogna. A brutal struggle ensued, with the German defenders attempting to hold their positions. The fighting at Ortona in particular (labelled a 'mini Stalingrad') would be particularly grueling for the Canadian forces involved.  The Winter Campaign in Italy 1943 focuses on several little-known battles fought in Italy following the German withdrawal from the Salerno bridgehead and from Taranto. Maps and diagrams present an easy to follow overview of the multiple operations of this complex campaign. The forces of the opposing sides (including American, German, Canadian, New Zealand and British troops), and the three decisive battles fought in late 1943, are brought vividly to life in period photos and superb battlescene artworks.  

Pier Paolo Battistelli was awarded his PhD in Military History by the University of Padua. A scholar of German and Italian politics and strategy throughout World War II, he has written a wide range of works and essays on military history subjects. 

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27 December

NEW - King Francis II of the Two Sicilies

Last ruler of Naples wanted to help the poor

Francis II, the last King of the Two Sicilies until he was deposed in 1861, when Italy was about to become a unified country, died on this day in 1894 in Arco in Trentino-Alto Adige.  Although he reigned over his subjects for one year only, King Francis is remembered as a humane ruler who believed he had a duty to help the needy. He also had a strong Christian faith, and he was declared a Servant of God by Pope Francis in 2020.  Born in 1836, Francis II was the only son and heir of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, with his first wife, Maria Christina of Savoy. He was christened Francesco d’Assisi Maria Leopoldo. Sadly, his mother, Maria Christina, died only five days after giving birth to him. Five years later, King Ferdinand married Maria Theresa of Austria and she became stepmother to the young Francis, who was said to have feared her, but was also greatly influenced by her.  Read more...

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Pope John Paul II’s prison visit

Pontiff came face to face with his would-be killer

Pope John Paul II visited Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome on this day in 1983 to forgive formally the man who had tried to assassinate him.  Two years previously the Pope had been shot and critically wounded in St Peter’s Square by Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turkish member of a fascist group known as Grey Wolves.  John Paul II had been rushed unconscious to hospital with bullet wounds to the abdomen, colon and small intestine and had to have five hours of surgery to repair the damage.  Agca was caught and restrained by bystanders until the police arrived. He was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.  John Paul II visited Agca on 27 December 1983 in prison in Rebibbia, a suburb on the northeastern edge of Rome.  They spoke privately for about 20 minutes and afterwards the Pope said he had pardoned his would-be killer.  Read more…

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Giovanni Battista Pirelli - industrial entrepreneur

Founder of the giant Pirelli tyre company

Giovanni Battista Pirelli, who in 1872 founded a business making products in rubber that would in time became the sixth largest tyre producer in the world, was born on this day in 1848 in Varenna, a village on the shore of Lake Como about 85km (53 miles) north of Milan.  Launched in January 1872 as GB Pirelli & Co, the firm initially produced a range of goods involving rubber, which included drive belts and hoses, underwater electrical and telegraph cables, waterproof clothing and footwear.  It began to manufacture tyres, first for bicycles, in around 1890, followed by motor vehicles in 1901. Pirelli & Co SpA was listed on the Borsa Italiana, the Milan-based Italian stock exchange, in 1922. It was the first Italian company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1929.  A fervent supporter of the Risorgimento movement, Giovanni Battista Pirelli fought in The Third War of Italian Independence. Read more…

Tito Schipa – operatic tenor

Star on two continents whose voice divided opinions

Tito Schipa, one of the most popular opera singers in the first half of the 20th century who sang to packed houses in the United States and South America as well as in Italy, was born on this day in 1888 in Lecce.  The tenor, whose repertoire included Verdi and Puccini roles in the early part of his career and later encompassed works by Donizetti, Cilea and Massanet, rose from modest beginnings to find fame with the Chicago and New York Metropolitan opera companies in America.  He also appeared regularly in Buenos Aires in Argentina and later in his career starred regularly at Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Rome Opera.  Some critics said his voice lacked power and had too narrow a range for him to be considered a genuinely great tenor, yet he overcame his perceived limitations to become extremely popular with the public wherever he performed.  Read more…

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Terrorist attack at Fiumicino

Horrifying end to Christmas celebrations

The peace of Italy's festive celebrations was shattered by a devastating terrorist attack on this day in 1985 when Arab gunmen opened fire in the main departure hall at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport.  The attack, which claimed the lives of 16 people, took place shortly after 9.05am, when the four perpetrators approached the check-in desks of Israel's El Al Airline and the United States carrier Trans World Airlines.  Israeli secret services were aware that an attempt either to hijack a plane or stage an attack on the ground was being planned between December 25 and 31 in Rome and an Israeli security officer became suspicious of the quartet as he watched their movements in the departure hall.  However, when he stepped forward to challenge them, they produced assault rifles and began firing, at the same time throwing grenades.  Read more…

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Saint Veronica Giuliani

Life of compassionate nun is still inspiring others

Nun and mystic Veronica Giuliani was born on this day in 1660 in Mercatello sul Metauro in the Duchy of Urbino.  After she had spent her whole life devoted to Christ, the marks of the crown of thorns appeared on her forehead and the signs of his five wounds on her body. She was subjected to a rigorous testing of her experience by her bishop but, after he decided the phenomena were authentic, he allowed her to return to normal convent life.  The nun was made a saint by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839, more than 100 years after her death.  Veronica was born Orsola Giuliani, the youngest of seven sisters. By the time she was three years old she was demonstrating compassion for the poor, often giving away her own food and clothes.  When her father decided she was old enough to marry, she pleaded with him to be allowed to choose a different way of life.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 1734-1861, by Louis Mendola

This is the first major work in English on the political and social history of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, a state that flourished under five kings of the House of Bourbon from 1734 until its annexation to the newly-unified Italy in 1861. Formally constituted in 1816, the Two Sicilies united the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily to form the largest and most prosperous of the pre-unitary Italian states. At its demise in 1860, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies boasted a treasury of gold reserves exceeding those of all the other Italian states combined, and the largest royal palace in Europe, at Caserta outside Naples. It was the most industrialized state in the Italian peninsula, home to Italy's first railroad, first public pension plan, first unemployment benefit plan, and first recycling system. The Two Sicilies has left its mark on what the world perceives as Italian culture. Spaghetti, pizza and one of Europe's first chocolate recipes were born in this region, along with the first vernacular Italian literary language. It was from this part of Italy that most Italians migrated to the United States, Canada, Argentina and elsewhere at the beginning of the 20th century, and this book complements studies of family history by those having roots in this region. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies is the true story of a semi-forgotten kingdom and its people. 

Louis Mendola is one of Sicily’s foremost medievalists, and one of the few whose work is known beyond Italian borders. He wrote the first book covering the entire seven-century history of the Kingdom of Sicily, and the first English translations of two chronicles of the 13th century.

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King Francis II of the Two Sicilies

Last ruler of Naples wanted to help the poor

Francis II ruled for the final
year before unification

Francis II, the last King of the Two Sicilies until he was deposed in 1861, when Italy was about to become a unified country, died on this day in 1894 in Arco in Trentino-Alto Adige. 

Although he reigned over his subjects for one year only, King Francis is remembered as a humane ruler who believed he had a duty to help the needy. He also had a strong Christian faith, and he was declared a Servant of God by Pope Francis in 2020.

Born in 1836, Francis II was the only son and heir of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, with his first wife, Maria Christina of Savoy. He was christened Francesco d’Assisi Maria Leopoldo. Sadly, his mother died only five days after giving birth to him.

Five years later, King Ferdinand married Maria Theresa of Austria and she became stepmother to the young Francis, who was said to have feared her, but was also greatly influenced by her.

Francis married Duchess Maria Sophie of Bavaria in 1859 in Bavaria. They had one daughter, Maria Cristina Pia, born after they had been married for ten years, but she died after just three months

After the death of his father, Francis ascended to his throne in May 1859. He reigned over the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies - Regno delle Due Sicilie - which encompassed all the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States, as well as Sicily. This area was under the control of the House of Bourbon from 1816 to 1861.

It was called The Two Sicilies, because the Kingdom of Naples had also been known officially as the Kingdom of Sicily and, collectively, they had been referred to as ‘both Sicilies’.

Francis is recorded to have appointed committees to improve conditions in prisons and he lowered taxes to help poor people. He ordered wheat stocks to be distributed to poor people at a low price, letting the state bear most of the cost, and he founded schools and universities.

Francis II with his wife, Duchess 
Maria Sophie of Bavaria

He was planning Government sponsored steam-mills to offer free grain grinding to benefit the poor and was also going to enlarge the railway system, when the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s troops halted his projects. His admirers believe his achievements during his brief time on the throne showed what a good ruler he would have been for the south of Italy.

After Garibaldi crossed the Strait of Messina and advanced on Naples in 1860 in his bid to unify Italy, Francis II and his wife, Maria Sophie, sailed to Gaeta to join up with the bulk of his troops. The following day, Garibaldi entered Naples and formed a provisional Government.

Garibaldi’s troops defeated a Neapolitan force at the Battle of Volturno and captured Capua. When only Gaeta, Messina, and Civitella del Tronto still held out against him, Garibaldi laid siege to Gaeta. 

Francis and Maria Sophie behaved with great courage and it was not until February 1861, when the French fleet that had been protecting them from an attack launched from the sea was withdrawn, that they finally gave in.

After Francis II had been deposed, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ceased to exist and its territory was absorbed into the Kingdom of Sardinia, which later became the Kingdom of Italy.

Francis and Maria Sophie moved to Rome to live as guests of the Pope where they maintained a Government in exile that continued to be recognised by some Catholic countries in Europe. Just before the Italian troops moved in to occupy Rome in 1870, Francis and his wife disbanded their Government and embarked on a wandering life, living in parts of Austria, France, and Bavaria.

In 1894, Francis died at Arco in Trentino-Alto Adige. Maria Sophie survived him for another 31 years before she died in Munich.

After the death of Francis, his half-brother, Prince Alfonso, became the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 

The case for the beatification and canonisation of King Francis II was introduced in December 2020 by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the Archbishop of Naples. When the Pope made King Francis a Servant of God, it was seen as the first step towards him becoming a Saint.

The award winning 1989 film, O Re, directed by Luigi Magni, was loosely based on the life of Francis II. The actor Giancarlo Giannini played the part of King Francis.

The ruins of the Castello di Arco sit on a rocky
outcrop overlooking the town of Arco

Travel tip:

Arco is a small comune - municipality - in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige, just 5km (3 miles) from the northern tip of Lake Garda. Its main claim to fame is being the place where King Francis II died. The ruined medieval Castello di Arco,  built on top of a rocky spur, is one of the important sights in the town and featured in a watercolour by Albrecht Durer. The 16th century palace, Palazzo Marchetti, has a portal that is attributed to Giulio Romano. Tourism is a major part of the local economy with many Germans and Austrians coming over the Brenner pass to visit Arco. Wind surfing on Lake Garda and rock climbing on the city walls are popular activities for visitors. Arco also hosts one of the most popular Christmas markets in Trentino-Alto Adige.

Stay in Arco with Expedia

A view of the harbour and waterfront at Gaeta,
on the coast between Rome and Naples

Travel tip:

Gaeta, where Francis II went with his wife as Garibaldi advanced on Naples, is a small city in the province of Latina in Lazio, 120 km (75 miles) south of Rome, set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta. Today it is a fishing and oil seaport and a popular resort with tourists. It has a huge Aragonese-Angevine Castle, which dates back to the sixth century and the Cathedral of Assunta e Sant’Erasmo, which was built over a more ancient church and consecrated by Pope Paschal II in 1106.  Other attractions include the Monte Orlando natural park, a protected area with Roman ruins, hiking trails, and panoramic views, featuring the Mausoleum of Lucius Munatius Plancus.  Gaeta was where Pope Pius IX was given a shelter by Francis’s father, Ferdinand II, after being besieged in Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome, in 1848, having lost control of the Papal States to revolutionaries.

Gaeta hotels from Hotels.com

More reading:

Francis I, the ruler who saw the Austrians from Naples

The architect who helped Bourbon king Charles VII transform Naples   

The Bonaparte who was made King of Naples

Also on this day:

1660: The birth of Saint Veronica Giuliani

1848: The birth of tyre maker Giovanni Battista Pirelli

1888: The birth of tenor Tito Schipa

1983: Pope John Paul II visits would-be killer in prison

1985: Terror attack at Fiumicino Airport

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26 December

Renato Guttuso - artist and illustrator

Creator of works representing the victims of Fascist repression

The painter Renato Guttuso, whose illustrations for Elizabeth David’s classic cookery book, Italian Food, gave him international fame, was born on this day in 1912 in Bagheria near Palermo in Sicily.  A fierce anti-Fascist, he painted powerful pictures, which he said represented the many people who, because of their ideas, endured outrage, imprisonment and torment.  Guttuso’s father, Gioacchino, was a land surveyor who painted water colours and Renato started painting as a child, signing and dating his art works from the age of 13. He was educated in Palermo and then went on to Palermo University.  He painted nature scenes featuring flowers, lemon trees and Saracen olive trees, which brought him recognition as a talented Sicilian painter when they were exhibited. He opened a studio with another painter and two sculptors in Palermo. Read more…

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Beppe Severgnini - journalist and author

Books observing national mores have been best sellers

The author and journalist Giuseppe Severgnini was born on this day in 1956 in Crema in northern Italy.  Better known as Beppe Severgnini, he is a commentator on politics and social affairs, about which he has written for some of the most influential journals and newspapers in Italy and the wider world.  Severgnini is equally well known for his humorous writing, in particular his gently satirical observations of the English and the Americans as well as Italians, about whom he has written many books.  His biggest selling titles include An Italian in America, which has also been published as Ciao, America! He has also enjoyed success with La Bella Figura: An Insider's Guide to the Italian Mind, Mamma Mia! Berlusconi's Italy Explained for Posterity and Friends Abroad, and An Italian in Britain.  Severgnini is a columnist for Corriere della Sera in Italy and the International New York Times in the United States. Read more…

Piergiorgio Welby - euthanasia campaigner

Muscular dystrophy sufferer who fought for right to die

The poet, painter and muscular dystrophy sufferer Piergiorgio Welby, whose wish to be given help to die after nine years being kept alive artificially sparked a huge legal, political and religious debate, was born on this day in 1945 in Rome.  Welby, the son of an AS Roma footballer with Scottish ancestry, developed MS when he was 17 years old.  Throughout the 1960s and 70s his lifestyle helped keep the disease under control. He lived as an artist and writer, following the hippie movement but also hunting and fishing. His use of recreational drugs dulled the symptoms of the disease and he was able to travel extensively in Europe.  During this period he met his future wife, Wilhelmine - later known as Mina - who was from Bolzano province in Trentino-Alto Adige but encountered Welby in Rome.  Welby decided in the 1980s to wean himself off drugs. Read more…

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Festa di Santo Stefano - Boxing Day

Saint Stephen's Day in Italy

Italians enjoy another day relaxing with their families on the Festa di Santo Stefano which is a public holiday in Italy.  It is traditional to visit loved ones and friends that you didn't see the day before to take presents and gifts of food.  Lunch will be less formal but still consist of several courses and each area of Italy will have its own specialities.  The day remembers Santo Stefano, traditionally thought of as the first Christian martyr, who lived during the first century  BC.  He aroused enmity with his Christian teachings in Jerusalem. Accused of blasphemy, he was tried and sentenced to death. Eventually he was stoned to death by an angry crowd.  The day is celebrated in different ways across Italy.  In some towns there are processions, in others there are re-enactments of the nativity. It is also a tradition in some areas to visit nativity scenes in local churches and leave donations.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: Italian Food, by Elizabeth David

In Italian Food, Elizabeth David was the first to help us understand the real country cooking of Italy.  Italian Food was an inspiration to British cooks when it was first published in 1954 - and it remains so to this day. Embracing the variety, richness and vibrancy of Italian cooking, with particular reference to regional variation, Elizabeth David provides a magnificent and inspiring collection of favourite dishes as well as those more rarely encountered. With straightforward recipes for meals such as Piedmontese cheese fondue, fettuccine with fresh tomato sauce and chicken breasts with ham and cheese, Elizabeth David brings us the authentic taste of Italian food.  The Daily Mail said: “Elizabeth David's clear and unpretentious directions for the enjoyment of good food have never been surpassed.”

Elizabeth David (1913-1992) was the woman who changed the face of British cooking. Having travelled widely during the Second World War, she introduced post-war Britain to the sun-drenched delights of the Mediterranean and her recipes brought new flavours and aromas into kitchens across the country.

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