Benedict the Moor – Saint

Devout son of slaves was canonised by a Pope

Benedict the Moor was recognised for his
compassion towards the poor and his forbearance

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.

As an adult he was publicly insulted because of his colour and his forbearance at the time was noticed by the leader of an independent group of hermits. They were living on Monte Pellegrino, an isolated rocky promontory on the northern coast of Palermo, following rules that had been written by St Francis of Assisi.

Benedict was invited to join the community and he gave up all his earthly possessions. He worked as the cook for the community and went on to become their leader when he had reached the age of 28.

A statue of Benedict the Moor at the
Minneapolis Institute of Art 

In 1564, Pope Pius IV disbanded all independent groups of hermits, ordering them to join established religious orders. Benedict was assigned to the Franciscan Friary of St Mary of Jesus in Palermo.

He started as a cook, but was soon appointed as a master of novices and later as a guardian of the community, although he was a lay brother rather than a priest. He helped the order to adopt a stricter version of Franciscan rule and became respected for his intuitive knowledge of theology and scripture.

It is claimed that he kept seven 40-day fasts throughout the year and slept for only a few hours each night. 

He was often sought after for counselling and developed a reputation for being able to heal the sick.

When Benedict died at the age of 65 it was claimed he had passed away at the very hour, and on the very day, that he had himself predicted. 

At the entrance to his cell in the Franciscan friary there is a plaque inscribed with the words: ‘This is the cell where Saint Benedict lived,’ which gives the dates of his birth and death.

After his death, King Philip III of Spain ordered a magnificent tomb to be built to house Benedict’s remains in the friary church in Palermo.

Benedict was beatified by Pope Benedict XIV in 1743 and canonised by Pope Pius VII in 1807. It is claimed his body was found incorrupt upon exhumation at the time. His major shrine was in Palermo, but the church and his relics were almost completely destroyed during wildfires in 2023.

He is remembered for his patience and understanding when confronted with racial abuse and taunts and, because of this, he has been declared a patron saint of African Americans. Several Catholic parishes in the United States are named after him.

San Fratello sits on a spectacular rocky outcrop in
countryside from which many emigrated to the US

Travel tip:

San Fratello, where Saint Benedict was born, is a municipality in the Nebrodi mountains in the northeast corner of Sicily. It was founded by the Normans in the 11th century. Their Gallo-Italic dialect is still spoken in the area. Situated about 110km (68 miles) east of Palermo and about 90km (56 miles) west of Messina, it takes its name from three pious brothers: Alfio, Cirino and Filadelfo, in whose honour a festival is held annually on May 10. It is said that the village sits on the site of the ancient Greek city of Apollonia, exactly on the summit of Monte Vecchio where the ruins are visible. The area has become increasingly prone to landslides, with more than one third of the population forced to evacuate the village in 2010, when extensive damage occurred. The village currently has just under 4,000 inhabitants but was once home to more than 10,000, its numbers diminishing in the early part of the 20th century when many residents left the area to emigrate, especially to the United States, where it is estimated there are 5,000 people who can trace their roots back to San Fratello. These include the ancestors of the American actor Al Pacino, whose father, Salvatore, returned to visit the area in 2002.

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The Monte Pellegrino promontory seen across
the harbour at Palermo in western Sicily

Travel tip:

Monte Pellegrino, where Saint Benedict once lived with other hermits,  is an isolated carbonate rock promontory on the northern coast of Palermo. It is 606 meters above sea level, making it the highest peak in the area, and it has become one of Palermo’s most  frequently represented symbols. It was described by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German writer and polymath, as the most beautiful promontory in the world and is seen by many Palermitani as giving protection to their city. The mountain is home to the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, a pilgrim hermitage named in honour of Rosalia, patron saint of Palermo.  Called Monti Piddirinu in Sicilian dialect, the mountain range is characterised by steep slopes over whose surfaces the water does not flow, but instead filters through numerous cracks and crevices.

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More reading:

Saint Rosalia, the Norman noblewoman credited with saving Palermo from plague

Why hundreds of thousands take to the streets of Catania to celebrate Saint Agatha

The Caravaggio masterpiece depicting the burial of Santa Lucia

Also on this day:

1752: The birth of composer Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli

1951: The birth of singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori

1960: The birth of businesswoman Daniela Riccardi

1963: The birth of journalist and politician Irene Pivetti

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3 April

Alcide De Gasperi - prime minister who rebuilt Italy

Christian Democrat founder was jailed by Mussolini

Born on this day in 1881, Alcide De Gasperi was the Italian prime minister who founded the Christian Democrat party and led the rebuilding of the country after World War II.  An opponent of Benito Mussolini who survived being locked up by the Fascist dictator, he was the head of eight consecutive governments between 1945 and 1953, a record for longevity in post-War Italian politics.  Although Silvio Berlusconi has spent more time in office - nine years and 53 days compared with De Gasperi's seven years and 238 days - the media tycoon's time in power was fragmented, whereas De Gasperi served continuously until his resignation in 1953.  As prime minister, De Gasperi was largely responsible for Italy's post-War economic salvation and for helping to hold the line between East and West as the Soviet Union established its border on Italy's doorstep.  Read more…

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Alessandro Stradella – violinist and composer

Talented musician lived for romance and adventure

Baroque composer Alessandro Stradella, who led a colourful life courting danger while producing more than 300 highly regarded musical works, was born on this day in 1639 at Nepi in the province of Viterbo, north of Rome in the Lazio region.  After an affair with the mistress of a Venetian nobleman he was attacked in the street and left for dead by two hired assassins, but he lived on for another few years to compose more music.  Five years later he was stabbed to death in Genoa, but the identity of his killers was never confirmed.  Stradella was born into an aristocratic family and by the age of 20 was making a name for himself as a composer.  He moved to Rome where he composed sacred music for Queen Christina of Sweden, who had abdicated her throne to go to live there.  It is believed he tried to embezzle money from the Roman Catholic Church. Read more…

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Maria de’ Medici – the tragic daughter of Cosimo I

Grand Duke grief stricken after death of clever child

Maria de’ Medici, the beautiful eldest child of Cosimo I de’ Medici was born on this day in 1540 in Florence. The apple of her father’s eye, she was one of the brightest of the Grand Duke of Tuscany’s children, but she was destined to lead a very short life.  Maria was the daughter of Cosimo I and Eleonora di Toledo and was Cosimo’s first legitimate child. He had fathered an illegitimate daughter, Bia de’ Medici before his marriage to Eleonora but she had died young.   Maria was educated with her brothers and was reputed to have been so clever that when her  brother, Francesco, didn’t understand his Greek lesson, his tutors would ask Maria to explain it to him.  She grew up to be an elegant, highly educated, and decorous young woman according to contemporary accounts and a marriage was arranged for her with Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara. Read more… 

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco – composer

Versatile musician wrote for stringed instruments and for films

One of the most admired composers of the 20th century, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, was born on this day in 1895 in Florence.  He composed more than 100 pieces of music for the guitar, many of them written for the Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia.  Because of anti-semitism in Europe, Mario emigrated to the United States in 1939 where he went to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, composing music for about 200 films.  Mario was descended from a family of bankers that had lived in Siena since the Jews were expelled from Spain in the 16th century.  He was introduced to the piano by his mother and was composing music by the time he was nine years old. His mother recognised his musical talent and encouraged him to study the piano and composition under well-regarded musicians.  Mario came to the attention of the composer and pianist Alfredo Casella, who included some of his work in his repertoire. Read more…

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Maria Redaelli - supercentenarian

Inter fan who was the oldest living person in Europe

Maria Angela Redaelli, a supercentenarian who for 10 months was the oldest living person in Europe and for 14 months the oldest living person in Italy, was born on this day in 1899 in Inzago in Lombardy.  She died in 2013 on the eve of what would have been her 114th birthday, at which point she was the fourth oldest living person in the world, behind the Japanese supercentenarians Jiroemon Kimura and Misao Okawa, and the American Gertrude Weaver.  Kimura died two months later at the age of 116 years and 54 days, which is the most advanced age reached by any male in the history of the human race, according to verifiable records.  Okawa and Weaver survived for another two years, Okawa reaching 117 years and 27 days, which made her the fifth oldest woman in history at the time, although she was later overtaken by the Italian Emma Morano, who lived in Pallanza on Lake Maggiore until she was 117 years and 137 days.  Read more…

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Book of the Day: Alcide De Gasperi: European Founding Father, by Daniela Preda

Alcide De Gasperi is universally recognized as a Founding Father of Europe, but his enlightened action in favour of European unification is little known outside of Italy.  At the beginning of the 1950s, he became one of the most steadfast advocates of a European federation as a response to the problems of peace in Europe and Franco-German reconciliation. Foreseeing the limits of functional integration, he strongly supported the creation of a European political community as a framework in which to insert the nascent communities. After retracing the fundamental stages in the Europeanist education of the political leader from Trentino, Alcide De Gasperi: European Founding Father focuses on his determination in fighting to give constituent power to the European Defence Community (EDC) Assembly, to convene the ad hoc Assembly, charged with studying and drawing up a treaty for the European Political Community, and to gain approval for the treaty.

Daniela Preda is a full professor at the University of Genoa, where she teaches contemporary history and history of European integration.

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2 April

Giacomo Casanova – adventurer

Romantic figure escaped from prison in a gondola 

Author and adventurer Giacomo Girolamo Casanova was born on this day in 1725 in Venice.  He is so well known for his affairs with women that his surname is now used as an alternative word for ‘womaniser’.  Yet Casanova’s autobiography, The Story of My Life, has come to be regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about European social life produced during the 18th century.  Casanova was widely travelled, had several different professions and was a prolific writer but he spent a lot of his time having romantic liaisons and gambling.  The Venice into which he was born was the pleasure capital of Europe, a required stop on the Grand Tour for young men coming of age, because of the attractions of the Carnival, the gambling houses and the courtesans.  Read more…

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Francesca Cuzzoni - operatic soprano

Diva who came to blows with rival on stage

Francesca Cuzzoni, an 18th century star whose fiery temper earned her a reputation as one of opera’s great divas, was born on this day in 1696 in Parma.  Described rather unkindly by one opera historian of the era as “short and squat, with a doughy face” she was nonetheless possessed of a beautiful soprano voice, which became her passport to stardom.  However, she was also notoriously temperamental and jealous of rival singers, as was illustrated by several incidents that took place while she was in the employment of George Frederick Handel, the German composer who spent much of his working life in London.  Already established as one of the finest sopranos in Europe, Cuzzoni was hired by Handel in 1722.  Handel at that time was Master of the Orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music, the company set up by a group of English aristocrats to stage Baroque opera. Read more…

Gelindo Bordin - marathon champion

First Italian to win Olympic gold in ultimate endurance test

Gelindo Bordin, the first Italian to win the gold medal in the Olympic Marathon, was born on this day in 1959 in Longare, a small town about 10km (six miles) south-east of Vicenza.  Twice European marathon champion, in 1986 and 1990, he won the Olympic competition in Seoul, South Korea in 1988.  Until Stefano Baldini matched his achievements by winning the marathon at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and claiming his second European title in Gothenburg in 2006, Bordin was Italy’s greatest long-distance runner.  He attained that status somewhat against the odds, too, having suffered a serious intestinal illness at the age of 20 and then being hit by a car.  Bordin’s victory in Seoul at last made up for the disappointment the Italy team had suffered 80 years earlier when Dorando Pietri crossed the line first in the marathon at the London Olympics of 1908 only to be disqualified. Read more…

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Achille Vianelli - painter and printmaker

Artist from Liguria who captured scenes of Naples

The painter and printmaker Achille Vianelli, whose specialities were landscapes and genre pictures, notably in his adopted city of Naples, died on this day in 1894 in Benevento in Campania.  For a while he worked at the French court, giving painting lessons to King Louis Philippe. Some of his works have sold for thousands of euros.  Vianelli was born in 1803 in Porto Maurizio in Liguria. When he was a child, his family moved more than 1,200km (750 miles) to the other end of the Italian peninsula to the coastal town of Otranto in the province of Lecce, where his father, Giovan Battista Vianelli, Venetian-born but a French national, had been posted as a Napoleonic consular agent.  Achille spent his youth in Otranto before, in 1819, he moved to Naples. His father and sister moved to France, although they would return to Naples in 1826. Read more…

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Book of the Day: The Story of My Life, by Giacomo Casanova. Introduced by Gilberto Pizzamiglio

Seducer, gambler, necromancer, swindler, swashbuckler, poet, self-made gentleman, bon vivant, Giacomo Casanova was not only the most notorious lover of the Western world, but a supreme storyteller. He lived a life stranger than most fictions, and the tale of his own adventures is his most compelling story, and one that remained unfinished at the time of his death. The Story of My Life is a selection of stories that contains all the highlights of Casanova's life: his youth in Venice as a precocious ecclesiastic; his dabbling in the occult; his imprisonment and thrilling escape; and his amorous conquests, ranging from noblewomen to nuns.

Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) was born in Venice, the son of actors who wanted him to become a priest. Instead he had numerous occupations, and is remembered as one of history's great lovers.  Gilberto Pizzamiglio is Professor of Italian Literature at the University of Venice.

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1 April

NEW - Simona Ventura - TV presenter

Star of sports and entertainment shows

The presenter Simona Ventura, whose career spanning forty years has showcased an outstanding versatility and made her one of Italian television’s most familiar faces, was born on this day in 1965 in Bentivoglio, a small town about 15km (nine miles) northeast of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna.  Ventura has made her mark in entertainment and reality TV but has also enjoyed a high-profile presence in sports broadcasting, especially football.  Her career highlights include hosting the live Sunday afternoon football show Quelli che il Calcio for a decade and leading L’isola dei famosi - an Italian reality show similar to Survivor and the UK’s I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here - for eight editions.  Ventura also has the distinction of being one of only three women to be granted the role of main host of the Sanremo Music Festival. Read more… 

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Arrigo Sacchi - football coach

AC Milan manager's tactics revolutionised football in Italy

Arrigo Sacchi, the football coach who led AC Milan to back-to-back European Cups and steered Italy to a World Cup final, was born on this day in 1946 in Fusignano, a small town not far from Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna.  Unusually among top coaches, Sacchi never played football as a professional.  Aware of his limited ability, he quickly decided he would concentrate instead on becoming a manager, taking charge of a local amateur team, Baracca Lugo, when he was just 26.  Literally, he worked his way up from the bottom, making a living as a shoe salesman while training his players in his spare time.  Yet step by step he ascended to the very top of the game, landing jobs on the coaching staffs at Cesena, Rimini and Fiorentina before Parma, then in the third tier of the Italian football pyramid, made him head coach in 1985.  Read more…

April Fools' Day - Italian style

What lies behind the tradition of Pesce d'Aprile?

Playing practical jokes on April 1 is a tradition in Italy in the same way as many other countries, although in Italy the day is called Pesce d’Aprile – April’s Fish – rather than April Fools’ Day.  It is said to have become popular in Italy between 1860 and 1880, especially in Genoa, where families in the wealthier social circles embraced the idea, already popular in France, of marking the day by playing tricks on one another.  The most simple trick involves sticking a cut-out picture of a fish on the back of an unsuspecting ‘victim’ and watching how long it takes for him or her to discover he had been pranked, but over the years there have been many much more elaborate tricks played.  Often these have involved spoof announcements or false stories in the newspapers or on TV or radio shows, aimed at embarrassing large numbers of gullible readers, viewers or listeners. Read more…

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Giancarlo Antognoni - footballer

Midfield star recovered from horrific injury to win World Cup

The footballer Giancarlo Antognoni, who won 73 international caps for his country and was a member of the Italy team that won the 1982 World Cup in Spain, was born on this day in 1954 in Marsciano, a medieval town in Umbria, some 25km (16 miles) south of the regional capital, Perugia.  Antognoni, who spent most of his club career with Fiorentina and still works for the club today, was regarded as one of the most talented midfield players of his generation, but had the misfortune to miss Italy’s triumph against West Germany in the 1982 final, having suffered a broken foot in the semi-final against Poland.  Nonetheless, he made a major contribution to the performances that carried the azzurri through to the final, including the victories over holders Argentina and tournament favourites Brazil in the second phase. Read more…

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Alberto Zaccheroni - football coach

First Italian coach to lead a foreign nation to success

The football coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who won the Serie A title with AC Milan and steered the Japan national team to success in the Asia Cup, was born on this day in 1953 in Meldola, a town in Emilia-Romagna.  In a long coaching career, Zaccheroni took charge of 13 teams in Italy, a club side in China and two international teams, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.  In common with many coaches in Italy, Zaccheroni began at semi-professional level and worked his way up through the professional leagues.  Before winning the scudetto with Milan in 1999, he had twice won titles at Serie D (fourth tier) level and twice in Serie C.  Zaccheroni played as a fullback, with the youth team at Bologna and the Serie D team Cesenatico in Emilia-Romagna, but his career was hampered by a lung disease he contracted at the age of 17. Read more…

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Book of the Day: Italian Pop Culture: Media, Products, Imageries, edited by Fabio Corsini

What does the expression pop culture mean today? And how does it contribute to understanding a country and a cultural group? Italian Pop Culture: Media, Products, Imageries is a collection of essays, diverse in content, approach and perspective, which tries to answer these questions. It aims at describing and figuring out the texture of Italian pop culture – as a meaningful juxtaposition between high and low, mass and elite, artistic and consumerist – in relation to the Italian mediascape and cultural context.  Through the mosaic of narratives produced by television, music, comics and novels, to name a few, and the mixture of genres and types of cultural products analyzed in every essay, the reader is allowed to further the knowledge of Italian pop culture and to get a glimpse of Italians and ‘Italian-ness’.

Fabio Corsini is an editor, author, and academic co-ordinator known for his work in media studies, Italian pop culture, and communication.  He is the co-ordinator of the communication programme at Kent State University, Florence Center.

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