Insults between gladiators and love stories between enslaved Romans have resurfaced at Pompeii, as new technology reveals graffiti long hidden from view. Writings scratched into a wall more than 2,000 years ago are now offering fresh insight into everyday life in the ancient city.
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In 2026, Italy marks 800 years since the death of St Francis of Assisi. Few medieval figures still command such wide attention, yet Francis speaks across centuries because his ideas confront enduring human tensions. We only have to look at news articles to understand that wealth, power, violence, and humanity’s place in the natural world […]
Continue Reading![Guglielmo Libri, book thief was born on 1 January 1803. Por Alexis-Nicolas Noël (lithograph) - [1], Dominio público, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2560518](https://italynews.online/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Guglielmo_Libri_Carucci_dalla_Sommaja.jpg)
Guglielmo Libri, one of the most prolific book thieves in history, was born in Florence on 1 January 1803. A nobleman, celebrated academic and later a convicted criminal, Libri is believed to have stolen more than 30,000 books, manuscripts and letters during the 19th century, many of which have never been recovered.
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On 30 December 39AD, the future Roman Emperor Titus was born. He was the eldest son of Vespasian and a ruler later remembered for compassion, rebuilding and decisive leadership.
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Early Renaissance sculptor Donatello died on 12th December, 1466 in Florence. More than five centuries later, his works remain central to Italy’s artistic heritage and are still visible across the country.
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Andrea Sacchi, one of the key figures of 17th-century Italian art, was born on 30th November 1599, Saint Andrew’s Day, in or near Rome. He became a leading advocate of High Baroque Classicism, drawing lifelong inspiration from Raphael’s work.
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Italian architect and urban planner Stefano Boeri, known for his focus on sustainable development, was born in Milan on 25th November, 1956. He is best known for the Bosco Verticale, or Vertical Forest, a pair of residential towers that transformed a corner of the city’s Isola district.
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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.
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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.
Continue Reading![Annibale Carracci (cropped) By Annibale Carracci - [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35333992](https://italynews.online/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Annibale_Carracci_Autoritratto_.jpg)
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.
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