Italian History

Italy’s contribution to culture and gastronomy is undisputable. From ancient Roman times to the present day, Italians keep coming up with ideas and inventions - and legendary culinary feats and restaurants - that shape not only Italian culture but...

Italy was officially a member of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Despite this, in the years before the war, Italy had enhanced its diplomatic efforts towards the United Kingdom and France. This was because the Italian government had...

THERE is one street in Catania, Sicily, which seems to be given over to the trade and industry of the poorer people of the city. It is not mentioned in the guide- books, and there is perhaps no reason...

Child Slavery at the Floristella Grottacalda mines in Sicily. The Caruso was a kid aged 8 to 14 years, assigned to carry on shoulder excavated material in bags of 20/30 kg or baskets (stirraturi) of 15/20 kg and working for...

"Archivio storico del Banco di Napoli" was founded in 1539. This archive is a valuable source of historical information ranging from 1450 to today. The Banco di Napoli Historical Archive is the largest collection of existing bank records in the...

Giovanni Leonardo, known as Il Puttino (Small Child), was born in Cutro, Calabria. Giovanni Leonardo di Bona won the first known international master tournament in the history of chess becoming the strongest chess master of the time. Giovanni Leonardo was...

This Roman sanctuary and the Sacred Wood are located on the northern shore of Lake Nemi, just few kilometres outside Rome. The temple of Diana Nemorensis was preceded by the sacred grove.  Diana of the Wood or Diana Nemorensis was...

The Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone never forgot his friend Sergio Leone, the father of the spaghetti western. Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone attended primary school together in 1937, in Rome. Over the years they lost each other's contact information until...

Satyricon, loosely based on the Roman homonymous book by Petronius, is a beautiful example of Roman novel. The surviving portions are an account of Encolpius and his lover misadventures. The story is set in Nero Emperor Rome. Satyricon obviously is...

Pantalica, Syracuse, Sicily, is located on a limestone promontory and is best known for its rock-cut tombs (13th to 7th centuries BC.). Surrounded by a deep gorge formed by Calcinara and Anapo rivers, is also an important nature reserve (Riserva...