11 August

Pope Alexander VI

Scheming pontiff married off his children to secure power

Rodrigo Borgia became one of the most controversial popes in history when he took the title of Pope  Alexander VI on this day in 1492 in Rome.  He is known to have fathered several illegitimate children with his mistresses and his reign became notorious for corruption and nepotism.  Born in Valencia in Spain, Borgia came to Italy to study law at the University of Bologna. He was ordained a Deacon and then made Cardinal-Deacon after the election of his uncle as Pope Callixtus III. He was then ordained to the priesthood and made Cardinal-Bishop of Albano.  By the time he had served five popes he had acquired considerable influence and wealth and it was rumoured that he was able to buy the largest number of votes to secure the papacy for himself.  He had made himself the first archbishop of Valencia and when he was elected as Pope Alexander VI. Read more…

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Massimiliano Allegri - football coach

Former AC Milan boss topped Conte's record

Massimiliano Allegri, the man who looked to have taken on one of the toughest acts to follow in football when he succeeded Antonio Conte as head coach of Juventus, was born on this day in 1967 in Livorno.  Conte won the Serie A title three times and the domestic double of Serie A and Coppa Italia twice in three years as boss of the Turin club.  Yet after Allegri took over in 2014 he exceeded Conte’s record, leading the so-called Old Lady of Italian football to the double in each of his first four seasons in charge before winning a fifth consecutive Serie A title in 2019.  The 2016-17 scudetto - the club’s sixth in a row - set a Serie A record for the most consecutive titles.  Allegri was a well regarded midfielder but although there were high spots, such as scoring 12 Serie A goals from midfield in a relegated Pescara side in 1992-93, he had a fairly modest playing career.  Read more…

Lavinia Fontana – artist

Mother-of-11 was Italy’s first female professional painter

Bolognese Mannerist artist Lavinia Fontana, who became famous for her portraits, died on this day in 1614 in Rome. She has come to be regarded as the first female professional painter in both Italy and throughout western Europe because her family lived on her income from commissioned works. Her husband worked as her assistant and agent and helped her bring up their 11 children.  Lavinia was born in Bologna in 1552 and baptised at the Basilica di San Petronio in the city. Her father, Prospero, was a prominent artist of the Bolognese school and trained Lavinia to follow in his footsteps. She became an artist at a time when women were not widely accepted in the profession.  Her earliest known work, Child of the Monkey, was painted in 1575 when she was 23. Another early painting, Christ with the Symbols of the Passion, which was painted in 1576, is now in the El Paso Museum of Art in Texas.  Read more…

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Alfredo Binda - cyclist

Five times Giro winner who was paid not to take part

The five-times Giro d’Italia cycle race winner Alfredo Binda, who once famously accepted a substantial cash payment from the race organisers not to take part, was born on this day in 1902 in the village of Cittiglio, just outside Varese in Lombardy.  The payment was offered because Binda was such a good rider - some say the greatest of all time - that La Gazzetta dello Sport, the daily sports newspaper that invented the race, feared for the future of the event - and their own sales - because of Binda’s dominance.  He had been the overall winner of the coveted pink jersey in 1925, 1927, 1928 and 1929, on one occasion winning 12 of the 15 stages, on another racking up nine stage victories in a row.  Binda, who was perceived as a rather cold and detached competitor, was never particularly popular outside his own circle of fans. Read more…

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Book of the Day: The Borgias and Their Enemies: 1431-1519, by Christopher Hibbert

The name Borgia is synonymous with the corruption, nepotism, and greed that were rife in Renaissance Italy. The powerful, voracious Rodrigo Borgia, better known to history as Pope Alexander VI, was the central figure of the dynasty. Two of his seven papal offspring also rose to power and fame - Lucrezia Borgia, his daughter, whose husband was famously murdered by her brother, and that brother, Cesare, who served as the model for Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince.  Notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder, the dynasty's dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to its occupation of the highest position in Renaissance society forms a gripping tale. Erudite, witty, and always insightful, Hibbert removes the layers of myth around the Borgia family and creates a portrait alive with his superb sense of character and place. In the description of the New York Times Book Review, this colourful history of a powerful family brings the world they lived in - the glittering Rome of the Italian Renaissance - to life. The Borgias and Their Enemies is "simply unputdownable".

Christopher Hibbert wrote more than fifty acclaimed books, including The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici and Rome: The Biography of a City. He was one of the most widely read popular historians. 

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10 August

Carlo Rambaldi - master of special effects

Former commercial artist who created E.T.

Carlo Rambaldi, the brilliant special effects artist who created Steven Spielberg's ugly-but-adorable Extra-Terrestrial known as E.T. and Ridley Scott's malevolent Alien, died on this day in 2012 in Lamezia Terme, the city in Calabria where he settled in later life, aged 86. Unlike modern special effects, which consist of computer generated images, Rambaldi's creatures were typically made of steel, polyurethane and rubber and were animated by mechanically or electronically powered rods and cables.  Yet his creations were so lifelike that the Italian director of one of his early films faced prison for animal cruelty until Rambaldi brought his props to court to prove that the 'animals' on screen were actually models.  It was during this time that Rambaldi, a former commercial artist, pioneered the use of animatronics (puppets operated mechanically by rods or cables) and mechatronics, which combined mechanical and electronic engineering.  Read more…

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Ippolito de' Medici – Lord of Florence

Brief life of a Cardinal, soldier and patron of the arts

Ippolito de' Medici, who ruled Florence on behalf of his cousin, Giulio, after he became Pope Clement VII, died on this day in 1535 in Itri in Lazio.  At the age of 24, Ippolito was said to have contracted a fever that turned into malaria, but at the time there were also rumours that he had been poisoned.  There were two possible suspects. The fatal dose could have been administered on behalf of Alessandro de' Medici, whose abuses he was just about to denounce, or on behalf of the new pope, Paul III, who was believed to want Ippolito’s lucrative benefices for his nephews.  Ippolito was born in 1509 in Urbino, the illegitimate son of Giuliano de' Medici. When his father died, he came under the protection of his uncle, Pope Leo X, and then his cousin, Giulio, who had become Pope Clement VII and sent him to Florence to become a member of the government. Read more…

Francesco Zabarella – Cardinal

Reformer helped to end the Western Schism

Cardinal Francesco Zabarella, an expert on canon law whose writings on the subject were to remain the standard authority for centuries, was born on this day in 1360 in Padua.  Zabarella studied jurisprudence in Bologna and in Florence, graduating in 1385. He taught canon law in Florence until 1390 and in Padua until 1410.  He took minor orders and in 1398 was made an archpriest of the Cathedral of Padua.  Zabarella carried out diplomatic missions on behalf of Padua. In 1404 he was one of two ambassadors sent to visit King Charles VI of France to ask for his assistance against Venice, which was preparing to annex Padua.  But when Padua became part of the Venetian Republic in 1406, Zabarella became a loyal supporter of Venice.  In 1409 he took part in the Council of Pisa as councillor of the Venetian legate.  Read more…

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Marina Berlusconi - businesswoman

Tycoon’s daughter who heads two of his companies

Marina Berlusconi, the oldest of business tycoon and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s five children, was born on this day in 1966 in Milan.  In 2003 she became chair of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Italy’s largest publishing company, and in 2005 president of Fininvest, the Berlusconi holding company that is also Mondadori’s parent company.  She is or at times has been a director of several other Berlusconi companies, including Mediaset, Medusa Film, Mediolanum and Mediobanca.  Forbes magazine once described her as the most powerful woman in Italy and one of the 50 most powerful women in the world.  Born Maria Elvira Berlusconi, her mother is Carla Elvira Lucia Dall’Oglio, a woman the businessman met for the first time at a tram stop outside Milan Centrale railway station in 1964 and married the following year, at a time when he was an enterprising but relatively obscure real estate broker.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: Special Effects: The History and Technique, by Richard Rickitt

The history of special effects is a long and varied one, incorporating so much more than shots of sleek starships or computer- generated raptors. From the concealed wires on Douglas Fairbanks’ flying carpet in The Thief of Baghdad to the seemingly impossibly complex scenes in Lord of the Rings and King Kong, the special effects industry has continued to find new ways to fuel our imaginations and ensure our entertainment.  This book is not only a beautifully illustrated history of the special effects industry, looking at all the different types of audio and visual effects; it also contains detailed technical explanations of how the effects are created, accompanied by specially created illustrations. Packed with over 500 colour illustrations taken from great movies and the personal portfolios of leading special effects experts, many of whom have been interviewed for and are profiled in the book, Special Effects: The History and Technique is a treat for any movie fan. It will also be an essential tool for anyone looking to build a career in this area of the film industry.

Richard Rickitt is the founder of Clockwork Digital, a company that creates graphics, animation and special effects for film and television. He regularly gives lectures on the history and technology of special effects for institutions in the UK and abroad, including the Science Museum and the British Film Institute.

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9 August

NEW - Antonino Scopelliti – prosecuting magistrate

Shocking killing of judge remains unpunished

The murder of Antonino Scopelliti, a prosecutor in the Italian Supreme Court, is alleged to have been carried out by the ‘Ndrangheta on this day in 1991 in Piale, a frazione of Villa San Giovanni in the region of Calabria.  Scopelliti was thought to have been killed by ’Ndrangheta members who were acting on behalf of the Sicilian Mafia. The 'Ndrangheta is a powerful mafia-type criminal organization, which originated in Calabria in the 19th century.   The judge was on holiday at the time, visiting his family, when he was ambushed on a road. At the time of his murder, he was preparing to argue the Italian Government’s case against Cosa Nostra - the Sicilian Mafia - in the final appeal in the ‘Maxi Trial’ in the Supreme Court.  It is believed the reason for killing him was to hold up the trial so that the legal terms of detention for the mafia bosses would expire, and they would be freed.  Read more… 

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Emilio Vedova - painter

Self-taught Venetian became influential figure in 20th century Italian art

The painter Emilio Vedova, regarded as one of the most influential Italian artists in the second half of the 20th century, was born in Venice on this day in 1919.  Vedova was known for his expressive abstract paintings, which often had a raw and violent character seemingly inspired by the tumultuous political climate of his time and the apprehension that clouded people’s lives.  A politically engaged figure, in 1942 he joined the Milanese anti-Fascist artists’ association known as Corrente, which included other painters such as Renato Guttuso and Renato Birolli, and fought in the Italian Resistance movement from 1943-45.  After World War Two, he was a co-signatory with Corrente member Ennio Morlotti of the Oltre Guernica - Beyond Guernica - manifesto in 1946, which encouraged artists to use abstract notions rather than figures to reflect the reality of society.  Read more…

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Romano Prodi – politician

Il professore became prime minister and European Commission president

Romano Prodi, who has twice served as prime minister of Italy, was born on this day in 1939 in Scandiano in Emilia-Romagna.  A former academic, who was nicknamed Il professore by the Italians, Prodi was also president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004.  Prodi graduated from the Catholic University in Milan in 1961 and studied as a postgraduate at the London School of Economics.  After moving up to become professor of economics at Bologna University, Prodi served the Italian government as minister for industry in 1978.  In 1996 after two productive stints as chairman of the Institute for Industrial Reconstruction, Prodi set his sights on becoming Italy’s prime minister and built a centre-left base of support known as the Olive Tree coalition.  While Silvio Berlusconi used television to campaign, Prodi went on a five-month bus tour around Italy. Read more…

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Poor foundations created tourist attraction by accident

Work began on the construction of a freestanding bell tower for the Cathedral in Pisa on this day in 1173.  The tower’s famous tilt began during the building process. It is believed to have been caused by the laying of inadequate foundations on ground that was too soft on one side to support the weight of the structure.  The tilt became worse over the years and restoration work had to be carried out at the end of the 20th century amid fears the tower would collapse.  At its most extreme the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees but since the restoration work undergone between 1990 and 2001 the tower leans at about 3.99 degrees.  The identity of the architect responsible for the design of the tower is not clear but the problem with the structure began after work had progressed to the second floor in 1178.  It is thought the tower would have toppled had construction not been halted for almost a century.  Read more…

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Filippo Inzaghi - football manager

World Cup winning player turned successful coach

The former Azzurri striker Filippo Inzaghi, who was a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad, was born on this day in 1973 in Piacenza.  A traditional goal poacher, known more for his knack of being in the right place at the right moment than for a high level of technical skill, Inzaghi scored 313 goals in his senior career before retiring as a player in 2012 and turning to coaching. He spent the 2019-20 season in charge of Serie B side Benevento, near Naples.  Inzaghi came off the substitutes’ bench to score the second goal as Italy beat the Czech Republic 2-0 to clinch their qualification for the knock-out stage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany but found it impossible to win a starting place in competition with Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero in Marcello Lippi’s squad.   Read more…

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Book of the Day: Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia, by John Dickie

Recognised as the 'first truly definitive English-language study of this myth-laden subject' (Sunday Times), Cosa Nostra is the compelling story of the Sicilian Mafia, the world's most famous, most secretive and most misunderstood criminal fraternity.  The Mafia has been given many names since it was founded 140 years ago: the Sect, the Brotherhood, the Honoured Society, and now Cosa Nostra. Yet as times have changed, the Mafia's subtle and bloody methods have remained the same. Now, for the first time, Cosa Nostra reconstructs the complete history of the Sicilian mafia from its origins to the present day, from the lemon groves and sulphur mines of Sicily, to the streets of Manhattan.  Described by journalist and presenter Andrew Marr as 'Monumental and gripping', Cosa Nostra is a history rich in atmosphere with the narrative pace of the best detective fiction, and hailed by critics in Italy as one of the best books to be written about the Mafia.

John Dickie is Professor of Italian Studies at University College, London. He is an internationally-recognised specialist on many aspects of Italian history and culture and his books have been translated into more than 20 languages. His history of Italian food, Delizia!, was turned into a six-part series for Italian television.

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Antonino Scopelliti – prosecuting magistrate

Shocking killing of judge remains unpunished

Scopelliti was a highly respected and experienced
prosecutor who had worked on many major cases

The murder of Antonino Scopelliti, a prosecutor in the Italian Supreme Court, is alleged to have been carried out by the ‘Ndrangheta on this day in 1991 in Piale, a frazione of Villa San Giovanni in the region of Calabria.

Scopelliti was thought to have been killed by ’Ndrangheta members who were acting on behalf of the Sicilian Mafia. The 'Ndrangheta is a powerful mafia-type criminal organization, which originated in Calabria in the 19th century. 

The judge was on holiday at the time, visiting his family, when he was ambushed on a road. At the time of his murder, he was preparing to argue the Italian Government’s case against Cosa Nostra - the Sicilian Mafia - in the final appeal in the ‘Maxi Trial’ in the Supreme Court.

It is believed the reason for killing him was to hold up the trial so that the legal terms of detention for the mafia bosses would expire, and they would be freed. The murder has never been solved and therefore no one has been convicted for carrying out the assassination.

Scopelliti was 56 at the time of his death. Born in Campo Calabro, near Reggio Calabria in the south of the region, he had returned to the area where he grew up, to spend his summer holiday away from work. He was killed as he was going home, having enjoyed a day at the seaside.

He had experienced an exceptionally successful career since entering the judiciary at the age of 24, becoming the number one Italian Deputy Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation, which is the highest court of last resort for criminal matters, and is based in Rome.

Giovanni Falcone attended the
funeral held for Scopelliti

Scopelliti had handled major trials, involving mafia and terrorism. He had represented the prosecution in the Aldo Moro case during the first trial, in the hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship, in the Piazza Fontana massacre, and in the Rapido 904 massacre. 

On the day of his murder, having spent the day at the beach, he was intercepted by his assassins, thought to be two people on a motorcycle, who were stationed by the road along which he was travelling. The ambush occurred at a bend, just before the straight road leading to the town of Campo Calabro. 

The killers shot him with 12-gauge shotguns. Scopelliti was struck by two shots to the head fired in rapid succession and was instantly killed. The car, which went out of control, ended up in an embankment, which is why it was initially thought to have been a road accident. 

When Scopelliti was murdered, he was preparing to reject the appeals filed by the defence lawyers on behalf of the most dangerous mafia members convicted in the first Cosa Nostra maxi-trial. According to 'Ndrangheta informants, it was the Sicilian Mafia that had asked the 'Ndrangheta to kill Scopelliti for them as ‘a favour’.

Two trials for his murder were held at the Court of Reggio Calabria. One was against Salvatore Riina and seven other mafia bosses, and the second was against Bernardo Provenzano and six other bosses. They were all convicted in the first instance, but subsequently acquitted in the Court of Appeal on the grounds of conflicting evidence. 

After years of judicial stalemate, in 2012, during a hearing against the 'Ndrangheta in Reggio Calabria, an informer asserted that the judge's murder was carried out by two men from Reggio Calabria at the request of Cosa Nostra, without, however, naming the alleged killers. 

The murder of Scopelliti has therefore remained unsolved, but the authorities are convinced that he was killed because he was doing his job well and maintaining high standards. He was so well thought of that the judge and prosecutor Giovanni Falcone, who was himself assassinated the following year, attended his funeral to show his respect for him.

Cosa Nostra boss Bernardo Provenzano was
suspected of involvement in Scopelliti's murder

In 2007, Scopelliti’s daughter, Rosanna, established the Ammazzateci Tutti movement (Kill Us All) in his memory, an anti-mafia social movement against the ‘Ndrangheta. Since then, the national anti-mafia meeting, Legalitàlia, has been held every year in Reggio Calabria, on the anniversary of the judge’s murder, promoted by the Ammazzateci Tutti movement and the Scopelliti Foundation. 

The Puglia branch of Ammazzateci Tutti have organised the naming of a street in Bari after Scopelliti.

A garden in Mucinasso, a hamlet in the municipality of Piacenza, and a square in Casalgrande, both in Emilia-Romagna, have also been named in his memory. 

In 2012, the bunker courtroom in Palmi and a square in Polistena, both in Reggio Calabria, were named after Scopelliti. In 2014, a square in Miglierina, in the province of Catanzaro in Calabria, was named after him during the first Legalitàlia Day. 

Last year, 34 years after Scopelliti’s murder, police returned to the scene of the shooting to look for new evidence, following ballistic investigations that had been carried out on the weapon they believed was used to kill the judge.

Today, on the 35th anniversary of the Judge’s killing, the case remains unsolved, but the investigation is still active and ongoing.

Campo Calabro offers extraordinary
views over the Strait of Messina

Travel tip:

Campo Calabro, where Antonino Scopelliti was born, is a municipality in the province of Reggio Calabria in the region of Calabria, located about 110km (68 miles) southwest of Catanzaro, the regional capital, and about 12km (7 miles) north of Reggio Calabria. A street in Campo Calabro, and one in neighbouring Villa San Giovanni have been named after Antonino Scopelliti. The town, which has a population of roughly 4,450 residents, sits 138m (453ft) above sea level, its position on the hills above the Strait Of Messina offering wide sea views, as well as proximity to the foothills of the Aspromonte massif. The beaches at Villa San Giovanni are less than 3km (1.8 miles) away. There is evidence of a Roman settlement in the area, which had strategic importance in the Byzantine and Norman eras. Campo Calabro maintains strong Calabrian southern dialect traditions, with linguistic traces of Greek and Latin. The town’s patron saint, to whom the parish church is dedicated, is Santa Maria Maddalena, whose feast is celebrated on 22 July each year.

Villa San Giovanni hotels from Expedia

Travel tip: 

Reggio Calabria, the largest city in Calabria although not the regional capital, is located on the "toe" of the Italian peninsula and is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. It is situated on the slopes of the Aspromonte, a long, craggy mountain range that runs up through the centre of the region. Since 2007, the national anti-mafia meeting "Legalitàlia" has been held annually in Reggio Calabria on the anniversary of Scopelliti’s murder, promoted by the Ammazzateci Tutti movement and the Scopelliti Foundation.  The city is also the oldest city in Calabria, the most important in what became known as Magna Graecia - Great Greece - after settlers began to arrive in the eighth century BC.  Much of its heritage was destroyed in the massive earthquake that struck the area in 1908, killing at least 25,000 residents. The rebuilt city, which suffered again at the hands of the Allies in World War Two, is notable for its fine Liberty buildings and its linear plan.  The best of what could be salvaged of the Greek remains after the earthquake can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum of Magna Graecia, housed in Palazzo Piacentini. Reggio Calabria's seafront promenade, Lungomare Falcomatà, is  regarded as one of the most beautiful in Italy.

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More reading:

Giovanni Falcone, the street kid from Palermo who became an anti-Mafia crusader

Paolo Borsellino, the judge who was murdered 57 days after colleague and friend Giovanni Falcone 

Bernardo Provenzano, Mafia boss who evaded police for 43 years

Also on this day:

1173: Work starts the Pisa bell tower that would become world famous

1919: The birth of painter Emilio Vedova

1939: The birth of politician Romano Prodi

1973: The birth of footballer and coach Filippo Inzaghi

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