History

2021 was an exciting ‘archeological year’ in Italy, with many finds that helped shed light on the country’s ancient history. We have selected a few that…

Every year on March 17, Italy celebrates the anniversary of the Unification of Italy — in other words, when Italy as a modern nation-state was born. …

According to ancient writers, the Etruscans of central Italy were distinct from their neighbors in the Mediterranean. Etruscan language, customs, and material…

By Luisa Pastore and Silvia Donati Type 'Saint Valentine' into any Internet search engine, and among the thousands of websites selling flowers, chocolates and…

It’s been a half-millennium since Leonardo da Vinci set out to paint the now-famous portrait we call Mona Lisa. Scholars have penned millions of words over…

Why do politicians often have a reputation for being deceitful, underhand, dishonest….?  Could it all have begun with the writings of Machiavelli in the…

2020 marked the five hundredth anniversary of the death of Raffaello Sanzio, an Italian Renaissance artist whose influence on later generations can hardly be…

Seven hundred years ago this September, Italy’s most famous poet, Dante Alighieri, died in Ravenna, after years of exile from his beloved Florence. He wrote…

What made Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo da Vinci? What is the secret of his universal genius and extraordinary talent?  We may be a little closer to…

Rome’s largest cemetery, the Cimitero Comunale Monumentale Campo Verano, is the most extensive in Rome with 2,253 memorials, as well as countless smaller…