Pius X Elected Pope
Richard Cavendish explores the papacy of Pius X, who was elected on August 4th, 1903.
Italy
The Battle of Civitate
Richard Cavendish describes the Battle of Civitate, fought by the Normans and a papal coalition on June 18th, 1053.
Nation-Building in Nineteenth Century Italy
Christopher Duggan recalls the contribution of a forgotten Italian statesman - Francesco Crispi.
Liberal Italy: The Midwife of Fascism or a Much-Maligned State?
F.G. Stapleton defends the record of Italian governments from 1861 to 1914.
Low and the Dictators
Timothy Benson assesses Hitler's irritated reaction to being lampooned by David Low of the Evening Standard.
Death of Guiseppe Verdi
Guiseppe Verdi, described by the Italian parliament as 'one of the highest expressions of the national genius' died on January 27th, 1901, aged 87.
Giordano Bruno Executed
The radical Italian thinker was burned at the stake on February 17th, 1600.
First Performance of Puccini's Tosca
The great opera premiered in Rome on January 14th, 1900.
Film In Context: La Dolce Vita
Stephen Gundle settles in the stalls to re-view the epochal Fellini film that defined the hedonistic spirit of post-war Italy.
The British and the Risorgimento
Was Britain's reputation as the champion of Italian independence really warranted? Giuseppe Garibaldi was undoubtedly popular with Britons, but Peter Clements is sceptical.