On This Day in Italy
October
October 1st
86 BCE: Birth of the historian Gaius Sallustius Crispus (d. 34 BCE), known in English as Sallust.
86 BCE: Birth of the historian Gaius Sallustius Crispus (d. 34 BCE), known in English as Sallust.
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October 2nd
1538: Birth of St Charles Borromeo (d. 1584), a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation. |
St Charles Borromeo by Attilio Selva, Rome
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October 3rd
1226: Death of St Francis of Assisi. St Francis was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone in 1181 or 1182. He was canonised on July 16th 1228. His feast day is October 4th. |
Fresco of St Francis (c. 1229), Subiaco
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October 4th
1582: Last day of the Julian calendar. The next day the Gregorian calendar came into effect and ten days were omitted to make the adjustment from the old to the new. October 4th was followed by October 15th.
1582: Last day of the Julian calendar. The next day the Gregorian calendar came into effect and ten days were omitted to make the adjustment from the old to the new. October 4th was followed by October 15th.
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October 5th
1712: Birth of the Venetian painter Francesco Guardi (d. 1793). |
Plaque to Francesco Guardi, Venice
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October 8th
1094: Consecration of St Mark's Basilica, in Venice. 1551: Birth, in Rome, of the composer Giulio Caccini (d. 1618). |
St Mark's Basilica, Venice
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October 9th
1469: Death of the Florentine painter Fra Filippo Lippi (b. 1406) in the Umbrian city of Spoleto. Lippi is buried in the city's Duomo. 1813: Birth, in Le Roncole, of the composer Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (d. 1901). |
Duomo, Spoleto
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October 10th
1488: Death, in Venice, of the Florentine sculptor and painter Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, better known as Andrea del Verrocchio (b. 1435). |
Bartolomeo Colleoni by Andrea del Verrocchio, Venice
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October 12th
1492: Death, in Borgo Sansepolcro, of the great Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca (b. circa 1412).
1935: Birth, in Modena, of the tenor Luciano Pavarotti (d. 2007).
1492: Death, in Borgo Sansepolcro, of the great Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca (b. circa 1412).
1935: Birth, in Modena, of the tenor Luciano Pavarotti (d. 2007).
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October 13th
1822: Death of the Neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova (b. 1757). Canova is buried in the Tempio Canoviano (Temple of Canova), in Possagno. |
Temple of Canova, Possagno
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October 15th
70 BCE: Birth, in Andes (a village near Mantua), of the Latin poet Publius Vergilius Maro (d. 19 BCE), author of the Aeneid.
1608: Birth, in Rome, of the physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli (d. 1647), inventor of the barometer.
70 BCE: Birth, in Andes (a village near Mantua), of the Latin poet Publius Vergilius Maro (d. 19 BCE), author of the Aeneid.
1608: Birth, in Rome, of the physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli (d. 1647), inventor of the barometer.
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October 16th
1417: Consecration of the Duomo, in Milan, by Pope Martin V (r. 1417-31). 1523: Death, in Cortona, of the painter Luca Signorelli (b. circa 1445). |
Cathedral of Milan
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October 18th
1706: Birth of the Venetian composer Baldassare Galuppi (d. 1785). Galuppi was born on the island of Burano, hence his nickname il Buranello. |
Baldassare Galuppi, Burano
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October 19th
1587: Death of Francesco de' Medici, the second Grand Duke of Tuscany (r. 1574-87). 1688: Birth of the Venetian sculptor Antonio Corradini (d. 1752). 1882: Birth, in Reggio Calabria, of the painter and sculptor Umberto Boccioni (d. 1916). |
Bust of Francesco I de' Medici, Florence
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October 20th
1435: Birth of the Florentine sculptor Andrea della Robbia (d. 1525). 1438: Death, in Siena, of the sculptor Jacopo della Quercia (b. 1374 circa). 1587: Death of the Venetian noblewoman Bianca Cappello (b. 1548), who was first the mistress and then the wife of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. |
Bianca Cappello by Alessandro Allori
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October 21st
1556: Death, in Venice, of the poet, playwright and polemicist Pietro Aretino (b. 1492).
1581: Birth, in Bologna, of the painter Domenico Zampieri (d. 1641), who was better known as il Domenichino, on account of his short size.
1556: Death, in Venice, of the poet, playwright and polemicist Pietro Aretino (b. 1492).
1581: Birth, in Bologna, of the painter Domenico Zampieri (d. 1641), who was better known as il Domenichino, on account of his short size.
October 22nd
2022: Giorgia Meloni (b. 1977) became Prime Minister of Italy, the first woman to hold the post.
2022: Giorgia Meloni (b. 1977) became Prime Minister of Italy, the first woman to hold the post.
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October 24th
79 CE: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 1725: Death, in Naples, of the composer Alessandro Scarlatti (b. 1660), father of Domenico Scarlatti. |
Alessandro Scarlatti
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October 25th
1510: Death, in Venice, of the painter Giorgio da Castelfranco, better known as Giorgione (b. 1477). 1647: Death, in Florence, of the scientist Evangelista Torricelli (b. 1608), inventor of the barometer. 1913: Death of the English writer and eccentric Frederick William Rolfe, better known as Baron Corvo (b. 1860), who is buried in Venice. |
Tomb of the writer Frederick Rolfe, Venice
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October 26th
1640: Death, in Florence, of the sculptor Pietro Tacca (b. 1577). 1685: Birth of the Neapolitan composer Domenico Scarlatti (d. 1757), son of Alessandro Scarlatti. 1890: Death, in Florence, of the writer Carlo Lorenzini (b. 1826), the creator of Pinocchio. Lorenzini wrote under the pen name Carlo Collodi. |
Portrait of Domenico Scarlatti by Velasco
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October 27th
1597: Death of Alfonso II d'Este (b. 1533), the last Duke of Ferrara. 1782: Birth, in Genoa, of the violin virtuoso and composer Niccolò Paganini (d. 1840). |
Composer and Violinist Niccolo Paganini by Ingres
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October 28th
312: Emperor Constantine the Great (r. 306-337) defeated his rival and co-emperor Maxentius (r. 306-312) at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, a victory that would change the course of history. Maxentius died in battle.
1922: Mussolini's 'March on Rome'.
312: Emperor Constantine the Great (r. 306-337) defeated his rival and co-emperor Maxentius (r. 306-312) at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, a victory that would change the course of history. Maxentius died in battle.
1922: Mussolini's 'March on Rome'.
October 29th
1922: King Victor Emmanuel III (r. 1900-46) invited Benito Mussolini to become Prime Minister.
1922: King Victor Emmanuel III (r. 1900-46) invited Benito Mussolini to become Prime Minister.
October 30th
1459: Death, in Florence, of the scholar and humanist Poggio Bracciolini (b. 1380), who rediscovered many classical Latin manuscripts, mostly decaying and forgotten in German, Swiss and French monastic libraries.
1583: Death, in Ferrara, of the Neapolitan painter and architect Pirro Ligorio (b. 1512).
1459: Death, in Florence, of the scholar and humanist Poggio Bracciolini (b. 1380), who rediscovered many classical Latin manuscripts, mostly decaying and forgotten in German, Swiss and French monastic libraries.
1583: Death, in Ferrara, of the Neapolitan painter and architect Pirro Ligorio (b. 1512).
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October 31st
1517: Death, in Florence, of the painter Bartolomeo da Pagholo (b. 1472), better known as Fra Bartolomeo. 1686: Birth, in Siena, of the castrato Francesco Bernardi (d. 1758), who was better known as il Senesino. 1768: Death, in Florence, of the violinist and composer Francesco Maria Veracini (b. 1690). 1993: Death, in Rome, of the film director Federico Fellini (b. 1920). |
Plaque to Federico Fellini & Giulietta Masina, Rome
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