Italian History

Villa Garzoni or Garzoni Garden was built before 1652 by the Garzoni family, near their old castle, which stands slightly apart and is a beautiful example of Baroque style. Villa Garzoni at Collodi, Lucca, Tuscany, features a garden with a...

The Venetian Ghetto (ghèto) was an area of Venice where Jews were permitted to live under Venetian Republic. The Ghetto is located in Cannareggio, not far from the train station. English (and Italian) word “ghetto” derived from the Venetian language, ghèto....

Paolo Gorini (January 18, 1813 - February 2, 1881) was an Italian scientist, geologist, teacher and researcher. The museum was inaugurated in 1981 by the pathologist Antonio Allegri and is housed in the old Chapter House of the Ospedale Vecchio...

San Galgano is Cistercians abbey not far from Siena, in Chiusdino area. The site is composed by a big abbey, now in ruins, and by the Hermitage (Rotonda di Montesiepi), the religious retreat. In the Hermitage is preserved the sword...

In 1908 an earthquake and tsunami hit Messina and Reggio (in the Messina Strait, Sicily-Calabria) causing 123,000 deaths. Both cities were almost completely destroyed. On December 28, 1908 the ground shook for some 30 to 40 seconds, and the destruction...

Built by Bourbon kings of Naples during 18th century, the Royal Palace of Caserta was the largest palace in Europe and a perfect example of Baroque art style. The construction of the palace was begun in 1752 for Charles VII...

Gustave Doré (1832-1883) was a French artist, illustrator and sculptor. In Italy, he gained endless fame because of his beautiful illustrations of Dante’s Divina Commedia. The Divine Comedy is an allegorical vision and an epic poem of the afterlife written...

Three large and majestic Roman domus (villas) have been restored and will be reopened to the public by Easter: Home of Triptolemus, the House of Romulus and Remus and the House of Marco Lucrezio Frontone. Lucrezio's domus is considered one...

Camerano underground city is a dense and, partially unknown, network of tunnels and chambers carved in the sandstone below the old town. Origin and purpose of the city is still uncertain. It was used for different purposes and by different...

Catullus Caves, in Sirmione, on the shore of Garda lake, are the ruins of an ancient and majestic Roman villa. The name caves was coined during Middle Ages, when the ruins were buried by dirt and vegetation. The villa was...