NEW - Benedict the Moor – Saint
Devout son of slaves was canonised by a Pope
An Afro-Sicilian Franciscan friar known as Benedict the Moor, who was made a saint nearly 300 years after his birth, was born on this day in 1526 in San Fratello in Sicily. Benedict was the son of African slaves who had been captured and taken to work in San Fratello, which is a small town in the province of Messina. His parents were given Italian names, Cristoforo and Diana Massaneri, and were converted to Christianity. They were granted freedom for their son before his birth because of what was then described as their loyal service to their master. Benedict is also sometimes referred to as Benedict of Palermo, Benedict the Black, or Benedict the African. He worked as a shepherd during his youth and often gave the money he had earned to the poor. Although Benedict did not attend school and was illiterate, he became well known for his charity. Read more…
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Francesco De Gregori - singer-songwriter
Performer inspired by songs of hero Bob Dylan
The singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori - popularly known as "Il Principe dei cantautori" (the prince of the singer-songwriters) – was born on this day in 1951. Born in Rome, De Gregori has released around 40 albums in a career spanning 45 years, selling more than five million records. Famous for the elegant and often poetic nature of his lyrics, De Gregori was once described by Bob Dylan as an “Italian folk hero”. De Gregori acknowledges Dylan as one of his biggest inspirations and influences, along with Leonard Cohen and the Italian singer Fabrizio de André. Covers of Dylan songs have regularly featured in his stage performances. He made an album in 2015 entitled Love and Theft: De Gregori Sings Bob Dylan. Born into a middle class family – his father was a librarian, his mother a teacher - De Gregori spent his youth living in Rome. Read more…
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Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli - composer
Neapolitan who snubbed Napoleon wrote 37 operas
The composer Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli, who wrote 37 mainly comic operas and more than 500 pieces of sacred music, was born on this day in 1752 in Naples. His success made him one of the principal composers of opera and religious music of his time. At various points in his career, he was maestro di cappella - music director - at Milan Cathedral, choir master at the Sistine Chapel and director of the Naples Conservatory. Many of Zingarelli’s operas were written for Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Early in his career he worked in Paris, which held him in good stead later when he was arrested after refusing to conduct a hymn for the newly-born son of the Emperor Napoleon, who at the time was the self-proclaimed King of Italy. Sometimes known as Nicola, the young Zingarelli studied from the age of seven at the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto, which was the original conservatory of Naples. Read more…
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Daniela Riccardi - businesswoman
Head of upmarket stationery company trained as a ballet dancer
Born on this day in 1960, Daniela Riccardi in 2013 became chief executive of Baccarat, the luxury glass and crystal manufacturer that originated in the town of the same name in the Lorraine region of France in the 18th century, taking up the same position with the upmarket stationery company Moleskine in 2020. Formerly CEO of the Italian clothing company Diesel, she is one of Italy's most successful businesswomen, yet might easily have forged alternative careers as a dancer or a diplomat. Born in Rome, she began dancing when she was five and studied ballet for 12 years at the National Dance Academy in Rome, with the aim of becoming a professional dancer. When it became clear that she would not quite be good enough to grace the world's great stages, she remained determined to have a career that would satisfy her desire to experience many countries and cultures. Read more…
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Irene Pivetti – journalist and politician
From top political office to TV presenter
Irene Pivetti, who was only the second woman to become president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, was born on this day in 1963 in Milan. Once a key figure in Italy’s Lega Nord party, Pivetti quit politics for a career as a television presenter. Pivetti obtained an honours degree in Italian literature from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan and afterwards worked in publishing, editing books on the Italian language. In this she was following in the footsteps of her maternal grandfather, Aldo, a renowned linguist. While working as a journalist, she became involved with the Lega Lombardia (Lombard League), which later became the Lega Nord (Northern League) and in 1992 was elected as a deputy, the Italian equivalent of a Member of Parliament. Two years later, after the vote had gone to a fourth ballot, Pivetti was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies. Read more…
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Book of the Day: Traveling With The Saints In Italy: Contemporary Pilgrimages On Ancient Paths, by Lucinda Vardey
Lucinda Vardey is a teacher, retreat guide and writer of spiritual subjects. Born in England, she now lives in Canada with her husband, John Dalla Costa, and in Italy where they run a retreat house in Tuscany. She lives part of the year in Tuscany and has led Italian pilgrimages for over six years.
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