Carlo Cattaneo, born on 15 June 1801 in Milan, was a philosopher, patriot, and firm republican. Cattaneo played a central role in the 1848 revolution and remains a key figure in Italy’s intellectual and political history.
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Giovanni Antonio Magini, one of Italy’s most distinguished Renaissance astronomers and cartographers, was born in Padua on 13 June 1555. His work helped shape early modern understanding of geography and the heavens.
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Dante Alighieri, born sometime between 21 May and 20 June 1265 in Florence, was not only a master poet of the Middle Ages but also a visionary who redefined literature, theology, and the Italian language. Widely regarded as the “Father of the Italian Language,” his work forms the cornerstone of Italy’s literary canon.
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Niccolò Machiavelli, the Florentine diplomat, political philosopher and author of The Prince, was born on 3 May 1469. More than five centuries later, his name is still synonymous with ruthless political cunning. However, the truth is far more complex than the word “Machiavellian” suggests.
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Pietro Aretino, born in Arezzo on 20 April 1492, became one of the most provocative writers of the Italian Renaissance.
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Gasparo da Salò, one of the earliest and most influential figures in the history of violin making, died on 14 April 1609. Born Gasparo Bertolotti in 1540 in Salò, a town on the shores of Lake Garda in northern Italy, he helped shape the future of string instruments.
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Born on 13 April 1519 in Florence, Catherine de’ Medici was one of the illustrious Medici family. The Florentine dynasty was renowned for its patronage of the arts and influence in Renaissance Italy. She became one of the most powerful women in Europe, mother of three French kings.
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Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known to history simply as Raphael, died on 6 April 1520, aged just 37. The date marked the end of one of the most influential careers in Western art. Raphael died in Rome at the height of his fame, mourned so deeply that, according to accounts of the time, a crack […]
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Fortunato Depero, a key figure in Italy’s Futurist movement, was born on 30 March 1892 in the Trentino region. Depero was a painter, sculptor, and graphic designer. However, he is best remembered for creating the distinctive conical Campari Soda bottle, which remains an icon of Italian design today.
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Terence Hill, born Mario Girotti on 29 March 1939 in Venice, is a well-known actor. He is famous for spaghetti westerns and playing Don Matteo. His career has lasted more than seven decades in Italian cinema and television.
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