Episodes

We go back to one of our favorite destinations: Venice, which we last left at the start of the 13th century to bring the maritime republic up to the 14th. We see some crazy laws as the republic move more and more to an oligarchy and has bit of trouble as the 14th starts up, especially with the pope.

After 100 episodes you might want a general overview of the story so far from 476 - 1310: The emperors, the naughty popes and who got a word stuck in which orifice. All of the things you may have forgotten in this over one hour episode that sums up the first 800+ years of "A History of Italy". Available ad-free to Patreon supporters and those who make a recommended $5.00 donation on Paypal. Head over to our Patreon page or get in touch to get a hold of the episode!

As we really dig into the 14th century, we look at an overview of the different ways in which the communes turned into the signorie, cities and groups of cities ruled over by a single hereditary ruler.

We go back over around 50 years from the death of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II to beyond 1300 to retrace the steps of the kingdom of Sicily, the war of the Sicilian Vespers, the northern communes and maritime republics as well as looking over at Sardinia and keeping an eye as always on the papacy.

We arrive at the third and last Berlusconi government (so far) from 2008 to 2011 and his downfall under the onslaught of the EU, economic crisis, legal trouble and Bunga Bunga.

In this second part of our review of Wondery's "Bunga Bunga" podcast and our memories of the Berlusconi era, we look at the 2001 - 2006 legislation, lead by Berlusconi and the longest lasting in Italian republican history

Following the publication of Wondery's excellent "Bunga Bunga" podcast, with co-host and legal expert Matteo Marconi we review the show and look back on our own experience of the Berlusconi era. In this episode his first government experience in 1994.

For our 100th episode we have the wishes from fellow podcasters and an interview with Mike Duncan, creator of the History of Rome, Revolutions and the book "The Storm Before the Storm". We also have an interview with one of the starts of the A History of Italy sketches.

Matte Visconti tries to pass power to his son Galeazzo, who ends up making a mess and losing the city to the Della Torre for almost a decade before would-be Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII come sto Milan and puts the Visconti back in power for the next few centuries, despite their own best efforts to do each other in. We also see some rather annoyed popes and of course a battle with Italians on both sides as usual.

We see the rise of the Visconti family in Milan as they battle the power of the Della Torre for control over the city and subsequently much of Northern Italy. First however, I take a personal look at my relationship with Milan and tell the story of how my mother was an unwitting baby sitter to the Mafia.

words and culture, to give the citizens of his city schools, homes all the elements that are fundamental rights, stolen by the Mafia and then handed out as favours.

We have a look at the opus magna of Dante Alighieri, the Divine Comedy, before seeing him off to the end of his days and beyond, with the adventures of his corpse

On 3rd September, the anniversary of his death, we look at the struggle against organised crime of Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, general of the Italian Carabinieri police force who dedicated his life to the fight against terrorism and the Sicilian Mafia.

We are going to take a look at some of the brave men and women who have given their lives to fight organised crime in Italy. known as "Le Mafie", the mafias, which include Cosa Nostra, the 'Ndrangheta, the Stidda, the Sacra Corona Unita and the Camorra. On the anniversary of their deaths, we will look at the lives and struggle of people such as General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, Peppino Impastato, Pio La Torre, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino and Don Pino Puglisi just to nae a few.

After definitively defeating the Ghibellines, the Florentine Guelphs need new enemies so they split into White and Black Guelphs, catching Dante Alighieri, who had entered politics just a few years before, in a crossfire that will have dire consequences. On a literary level, he starts to get the idea of a sort od mid life crisis travel book...

We start to take a look at the life and times of the great poet Dante Alighieri, taking the opportunity to look more closely at the history of his city, Florence.

We see how the descent of Emperor Henry VII reignites the conflict between Frederick of Sicily and the new king of Naples, Robert. The animosity will last as long as the two men live.

The papacy, under Clement V heads off for its long exile to Avignone and then Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII tries to move back the clock on the Italian scene.

1298- 1303 Boniface VIII crushes the internal opposition of the Colonna, organises the first Jubilee, dabble in Italian politics including Florence and then clashes once again with Philipp IV of France, which seals his fate.

1295 - 1297 We go back to the abdication of pope Celestine V in 1295 and see the rise to power of one of the most controverstial popes in history, Boniface VIII in this first of two episodes on the man and his time.

Before finally getting on to the 14th century, we see how the end of the 13th marked the beginning of the end of the Sardinian Judicates, before of course going back to look at what they actually were.

the politics of late 13th century Pisa as an example of the general situation in the communes as well as touching on Sardinia.

Before saying goodbye to the 13th century, we take a quick tour of the peninsula to tie up some loose ends, such as the maritime, republics, Piedmont and the situation with the communes.

Marco Polo finally leaves on his great voyage which will take him to the ends of the known earth to meet a whole series of different cultures to then come back to Venice and live though one of the republic's most dangerous moments