History of Italy: Articles in English archives

Depiction of the murder of Pellegrino Rossi in Rome, 1848. By H. de Montaut - César Vimercati, Histoire de l'Italie en 1848-49, 7e édition, Paris, 1859., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11148035

On this day in history: murder of Pellegrino Rossi

November 15, 2025November 15, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

On this day in 1848, the politician Pellegrino Rossi was murdered on the steps of the Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome. His death ignited one of the most dramatic crises of the revolutionary year and pushed the Papal States into open revolt.

On this day in history: Alessandro Malaspina explorer born

November 5, 2025November 5, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Alessandro Malaspina, one of Italy’s greatest but least celebrated explorers, was born on 5th November, 1754 in Mulazzo, a small village in northern Tuscany. Though his name is far less famous than Columbus or Vespucci, his achievements as a navigator, scientist and cartographer were equally significant.

Annibale Carracci (cropped) By Annibale Carracci - [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35333992

On this day in history: Baroque artist Annibale Carracci born

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

The Baroque painter Annibale Carracci was born on 3rd November 1560 in Bologna. His work transformed Italian art, shaping the course of Baroque painting and restoring the ideals of the High Renaissance to new prominence.

On this day in history: birth of media mogul Angelo Rizzoli

October 31, 2025October 31, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

On this day – 31 October 1889 – Angelo Rizzoli was born in Milan, embarking on a journey from orphanage to media empire.

On This Day in History: The March on Rome

October 28, 2025October 28, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

103 ago today, the event known as the March on Rome culminated in the transfer of power in Italy and the rise of Benito Mussolini as prime minister. The march marked the beginning of fascist rule under Mussolini’s leadership.

On this day in history: birth of painter Mario Berrino

September 22, 2025September 22, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Mario Berrino, the Ligurian painter and colourful entrepreneur, was born on this day in 1920 in Alassio, the coastal town where he would spend almost all of his life. Best remembered for capturing the atmosphere of the Italian Riviera in his paintings, Berrino also left an enduring mark on Alassio through his entrepreneurial ventures and […]

On this day in history: Pope Clement VII election

September 20, 2025September 20, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

On this day in 1378, the election of Robert of Geneva as Pope Clement VII deepened divisions within the Catholic Church and triggered the Western Schism, also known as the Great Schism. The split, which left Christendom with two – and at times three – rival popes, lasted almost 40 years.

The Agony in the Garden painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna (c. 1431 - 1506 CE). Tempera on panel, c. 1460 CE. (National Gallery, London)

On this day in history: death of artist Andrea Mantegna

September 13, 2025September 13, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Andrea Mantegna, born around 1431 in Isola di Carturo near Padua, was one of the foremost painters of the Early Renaissance, whose strong sculptural sense and daring perspective helped shape Italian art in the 15th and early 16th centuries.

Andrea Camilleri at 100 and the island of Sicily

September 6, 2025September 6, 2025Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Andrea Camilleri would have turned one hundred today, 6th September 1925, born in Porto Empedocle, Sicily. His name is synonymous with Inspector Salvo Montalbano, but to regard him merely as a crime writer is to diminish a vast, multifaceted literary legacy.