On this day in History: Construction of Leaning Tower of Pisa Commences
On 9th August 1173, work began on the construction of a freestanding bell tower for the Cathedral in Pisa. The famous lean started during the building process.
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Category: History of Italy
On this day in history: Florentine soldier celebrated in Italy’s national anthem killed
Francesco Ferruccio, the military leader whose heroic attempt to defend Florence against the powerful army of the Holy Roman Empire, died on the battlefield on 3rd August, 1530. The Italian national anthem recalls his heroism.
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On this day in history: Benito Mussolini born
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born on 29 July 1883. An Italian politician, he founded the National Fascist Party. Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 1943. He was executed in 1945 by Italian partisans.
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On this day in history: Italy’s 12th President born
The first Sicilian to become President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, was born on 23rd July 1941 in Palermo. He became a politician following the assassination of his brother in 1980.
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On this Day in History: Collapse of St Mark’s Campanile, Venice
On 14th July 1902, a pile of rubble lay where the St Mark’s campanile (bell tower) had once stood in Venice. Almost 1,000 years old, the building’s collapse was viewed as a tragedy by Venetians.
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On this day in history: Vannozza dei Cattanei born
On 13th July 1442, Vannozza dei Cattanei – mother of Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia – was born in Matua. Vannozza was a figure of influence, providing advice to Pope Alexander VI as well as four children.
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On this day in history: Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, dies
The last ruler of the Kingdom of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro, died on 10th July, 1510 in Venice. She lived out her life in a castle in Asolo, Veneto, retaining the title Queen of Cyprus.
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On this day in history: Death of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley died on 8th July, 1822 while travelling from Livorno in Tuscany to Lerici in Liguria. He was sailing his boat, Don Juan, in in the Gulf of La Spezia.
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On this day in history: Elena Cornaro Piscopia graduates from Padua University
In 1678, it is believed on 25th June, Elena Cornaro Piscopia became the first woman to receive a university academic degree. Padua was the awarding university.
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On this day in history: Birth of sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro
The avant-garde sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro was born in Morciano di Romagna, a small town just inland from the Adriatic coast, on this day in 1926. He is best known for his Sphere within Sphere series.
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