July 1st 1618: Birth of the sculptor Cosimo Fancelli (d. 1688). 1871: Transfer of Italy's capital from Florence to Rome.
July 3rd 1640: Death of the painter Guseppe Cesari (b. 1568), better known as the Caviliere d'Arpino. 1756: Death of the architect and surveyor Giovanni Battista Nolli (b. 1701), best known for his great map of Rome, the Pianta Grande di Roma.
July 4th 993: St Ulrich of Augsburg (c. 890-973) was the first saint to be canonised by a pope, namely John XV (r. 985-96). 1415: Pope Gregory XII (r. 1406-15) abdicated in a bid to end the Western Schism. Gregory XII was the last pope to abdicate until Benedict XVI in 2013. July 6th 1599: Death of the Roman sculptor and architect Pietro Paolo Olivieri (b. 1551). 1758: Election of Pope Clement XIII (r. 1758-69). 1849: Death of the young patriot and poet Goffredo Mameli (b. 1827), who penned the lyrics of ‘Il Canto degli Italiani’, the national anthem of Italy. July 7th 1573: Death of the architect Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, who designed the Chiesa del Gesù.
July 8th 1593: Birth of the painter Artemisia Gentileschi. 1623: Death of Pope Gregory XV (r. 1621-23). July 10th 1686: Death of the sculptor Ercole Ferrata (b. 1610).
July 11th 1879: Birth of the architect Giovanni Michelazzi (d. 1920), one of the most important exponents of the Stile Liberty, as Art Nouveau is known in Italy.
July 12th 1691: Election of Pope Innocent XII (r. 1691-1700). 1730: Election of Pope Clement XII (r. 1730-40). July 13th 1234: Canonisation of St Dominic (1170-1221) by Pope Gregory IX (r. 1227-41).
July 14th 1555: Pope Paul IV (r. 1555-59) issued the bull Cum nimis absurdum, which led to the creation of the Jewish Ghetto.
July 15th 1609: Death of the painter Annibale Carracci (b. 1560). 1655: Death of the Roman architect Girolamo Rainaldi (b. 1570), who designed the Palazzo Pamphilj in Piazza Navona. 1823: The ancient Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura (Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls) was nearly destroyed by fire.
July 16th 1228: Canonisation of St Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226) by Pope Gregory IX (r. 1227-41).
July 18th 1726: Birth of the sculptor Innocenzo Spinazzi (d. 1798). 1870: The First Vatican Council approves the doctrine of papal infallibility. July 19th 64 CE: Start of the Great Fire of Rome (Incendium Magnum Romae), which raged for six days, destroying two-thirds of the city. 1943: The United States Air Force bombed the railway yards in the San Lorenzo district, damaging the ancient basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, and causing more than 1,500 civilian deaths.
July 20th 1903: Death of Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878-1903), one of only three popes to reign for 25 years or more. 1937: Death of Guglielmo Marconi (b. 1874), who is credited with the invention of radio. In 1909 Marconi won the Nobel Prize for Physics.
July 22nd 1676: Death of Pope Clement X (r. 1670-76). July 23rd 1373: Death of St Bridget of Sweden (b. circa 1303). 1957: Death of the Sicilian writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (b. 1896), author of the celebrated novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). July 25th 1492: Death of Pope Innocent VIII (r. 1484-92). 1943: Dismissal from political office and arrest of Benito Mussolini.
July 26th 1471: Death of Pope Paul II (r. 1464-71).
July 27th 1993: A car bomb (placed by the Mafia) exploded outside the church of San Giorgio in Velabro, destroying the medieval portico.
July 28th 1873: Death of the sculptor Rinaldo Rinaldi (b. 1793).
July 29th 1644: Death of Pope Urban VIII (r. 1623-44), a member of the Barberini family and a significant patron of the arts.
July 30th 2007: Death of the film director Michelangelo Antonioni (b. 1912).
July 31st 1556: Death of St Ignatius of Loyola (b. 1491), the founder of the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits.