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), an Archbishop of Milan and 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 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 Renaissance painter Fra Filippo Lippi (b. 1406) in the Umbrian city of Spoleto. Lippi, who was born in Florence, is buried in the cathedral of Spoleto. |
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). 1813: Birth, in Le Roncole, of the composer Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (d. 1901) |
Bartolomeo Colleoni by Andrea del Verrocchio, Venice
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October 12th
1492: Death of the Umbrian painter Piero della Francesca.
1935: Birth, in Modena, of the tenor Luciano Pavarotti (d. 2007).
1492: Death of the Umbrian painter Piero della Francesca.
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 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 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. |
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). 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). 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
1581: Birth, in Bologna, of the painter Domenico Zampieri (d. 1641), who was better known as il Domenichino, on account of his short size.
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 this post.
2022: Giorgia Meloni (b. 1977) became Prime Minister of Italy, the first woman to hold this 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 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
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 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: Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Emperor Constantine defeated his co-emperor Maxentius, who died in battle, thereby becoming the sole ruler of the empire in the west.
312: Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Emperor Constantine defeated his co-emperor Maxentius, who died in battle, thereby becoming the sole ruler of the empire in the west.
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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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