Episodes
May 7, 2024
168 - The Italian war 5 - round 1 aftermath - the south and centre
After seeing French King Charles VIII out of the Italian peninsula, we take a quick tour around to see what the situation is at the end of the 15th century and make sure everyone is on the same page. We look at Sardinia, Sic…
April 23, 2024
167 - The Italian Wars 4 - Charles has left the building
Charles VIII of France is on his way out as king Ferrandino of Naples, along with Gonzalo de Cordoba, are gradually taking back the kingdom. Meanwhile Charles is headed off by the Holy League of Venice at the town of Fornovo…
April 9, 2024
166 - The Italian Wars 3 - finally Naples… for a bit (1495)
Charles VIII of France finally managed to get to Naples , but doesn't hang around long, the players on the Italian scene feel he has worn out his welcome and Venice, Milan, the pope, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian and Ferdina…
March 26, 2024
Special - The Gulf of poets: Byron, Keats and Shelly in Italy
A chance visit to the beautiful Ligurian town of Porto Venere , staying in a 900 year-old tower, Torre Capitolar e ( https://www.capitolare.com/ ) gave us the opportunity to meet not only with medieval history, the Republic …
March 19, 2024
165 - The Borgias are the bosses (1492 - 1497)
After his election as pope Alecander VI Rodrigo Borgia gets straight down to business, sorting out the lawlessness in Rome, tinkering with the delicate national balance with the Duchy of Milan, the Republics of Florence and …
March 5, 2024
Special - Lucrezia Borgia
To celebrate the "A History of Italy" podcast joining the "Sentire" media network (sentire.media), we take a look at one of the most maligned women in history, Lucrezia Borgia . By the 20th century, her reputation was turned…
March 5, 2024
Special - Caterina of Siena
To celebrate A History of Italy of joining the Sentire podcast network ( sentire.media ) we go back to visit with a peculiar young girl who went from early, rather graphic and violent religious visions to become one of the m…
March 5, 2024
Special - Matilde di Canossa
To celebrate the A History of Italy podcast becoming a member of the Sentire Media podcast network we go back and visit with one of our personal favourites, Matilda of Canossa Margarine of Tuscany, a woman of power in a time…
Jan. 23, 2024
164 - The rise of the Borgias
After seeing Charles VIII though Rome with an uncertain deal with pope Alexander VI , Rodrigo Borgia , we go back to see how the Borgias came to Italy from Spain with Alphonse of Aragon, rose to the papacy with Callixtus III…
Jan. 3, 2024
6th Anniversary episode - Best of the sketches
To celebrate our 6th anniversary on 3rd January, we look back on some of the most memorable sketches that have accompanied the regular episodes. From the first appearance of the Great Turnip, through the fish, frog, falcon f…
Dec. 19, 2023
Interview on the Aldo Moro Affair with Simon Gaul, Author of "White Suicide"
We spoke to Travel book author, adventurer and novelist Simon Gaul about his new book "White Suicide" which covers a dark period of Italian history in which Christian Democrat Party leader Aldo Moro was kidnapped and assassi…
Dec. 12, 2023
163 - The rise and Fall of Gerolamo Savonarola
We follow the life of mystic, prophet and monk, Gerolamo Savonarola , who came to have a great moral influence over Florence , particularly after the expulsion of the Medici . His increasing fiery denunciation of the immoral…
Nov. 28, 2023
162 - The Italian wars 2- opening hostilities and the Medici get kicked out
Charles VIII of France starts to head into Italy, beginning with the lands of Savoy where a 2-year-old duke leaves things to his mum to deal with the expensive guest who also asks her for a loan. Meanwhile, the Neapolitans t…
Nov. 14, 2023
161 - The Italian wars 1: setting up and setting off
We look at the background to the expedition by King Charles VIII of France into Italy to claim the throne of Naples. This takes us to explore the situation i Milan, with Duke Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his uncle Ludovico il Mo…
Oct. 26, 2023
Recap 07 - Episodes 139 to 160
Before charging into the modern age, we take our usual look back on past episodes for a recap. In this case we look at the middle to late 15th century as the "big five" Naples, Milan, Venice, Florence and the Papal States st…
Oct. 10, 2023
Special: 9th October 1963 - Vajont, a man-made natural disaster
We go back to a quiet mountain valley of north-eastern Italy where the peace was forever broken by one of the country's most ambitious architerctural and engineering projects that ended in one of the worst disasters in the h…
Oct. 3, 2023
Quick annoucement - demolition work in progress
Just a few seconds to let you knwo that we are almost ready to get back on track, but we need for the surroundings to go back so some minimal for of tranquility
Sept. 12, 2023
160 - Federico Da Montefeltro and bits getting cut off
We linger yet another episode in the Middle Ages to take a look at the Duchy of Urbino and in particular the "condottiero" Federico da Montefeltro, he of th eodd shped nose. There is also a murder mystery surrounding the dea…
July 26, 2023
Summer announcement - listen even if you haven't cought up
Just a quick annoucement to update on goings on in the AHoI family life as well as plans for the near future
June 13, 2023
159 - Life, death and sex in the middle ages
We take a look at what life was like in the middle ages for the average Giuseppe and Lucrezia, from birth to death, sickness, medicine, work, free time, travel and sex and all the naughtiness connected to it.
May 23, 2023
158 - The Este of Ferrara
We take a look at a brief summary of one of the oldest dynasties in Europe, the House of Este who are the ancestors also of the House of Windsor rulers of the United Kingdom. In particular we look at the Italian branch, from…
May 9, 2023
Interview: Artemisia Gentileschi with Lori from "Her Half of History"
We were lucky enough for Lori from the Her Half of History podcast to come and talk about the 17th century female Roman artist Artemisia Gentileschi . She overcame great trauma and injustice at a young age to become one of t…
April 25, 2023
25th April - Liberation
On the 78th anniversary of Italy's liberation from Nazism and Fascism, we publish a repeat from 2020 on family memories and the importance of this day.
April 12, 2023
157 - Venice out of the middle ages and into uncertainty (1454 - 1492)
After the peace of Lodi, the relative stability on the peninsula allows Venice to concentrate on the Ottomans again and the inevitable first war breaks out in 1463 . Before that, we see one of the few doge's to actually be d…