Episode Summary The 16th century didn’t start kindly for the Republic of Venice—but if history has taught us anything, it’s that Venice had a knack for bouncing back. In this episode, we follow Venice from near-collapse during the War of the League of Cambrai through its remarkable recovery by 1516.…
Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli D’Italia party slips 2 points in the polls for the first time. The Emilia town of Carpi revokes the honorary citizenship assigned to Benito Mussolini in 1924 The phrase of the week is @Meglio tardi che mai” better late than never #giorgiameloni
Here are your show notes, in the same structured style and tone as before: Show Notes Episode Overview In 1525, revolutionary ideas inspired by the Protestant Reformation spread from Germany into the Alpine valleys of Trentino. What followed was a dramatic — if short-lived — uprising of peasants against nobles…
The Italian government refuses use of the Sigonella base in Sicily to the US, jeopardising Giorgia Meloni's close personal relationship with Donald Trump. In local news, I discover that meat slicers actually work and can also slice human fingers. In sporting news, Jannick Sinner wins the Miami Open and THAT'S…
Episode Overview Continuing our tour of the Italian peninsula in the early 1500s, we move north from the Kingdom of Naples, through the Papal States and Tuscany, across the Apennines, past Genoa, and into what is today the region of Piedmont. In this episode we explore the key political players…
Episode Overview Having toured Spanish Sardinia and turbulent Sicily, we now complete our circuit of southern Italy by turning to the Kingdom of Naples. Once secured for Spain by the legendary Gonzalo de Córdoba, Naples became one of the crown jewels of the Spanish Empire — wealthy, strategic, and politically…
Episode Overview Having raced through the early 1500s following the Italian Wars, the Medici popes, Leonardo da Vinci, and the creation of the Medici duchy in Florence, it’s time to slow down and look at the parts of Italy we’ve left slightly out of focus. In this episode, we take…
Il Professor Paolo Golinelli ci accompagna alla visita della mostra "Reggio Emilia medioevale e Matilde di Canossa" curata da lui stesso ed il professor Gabriele Fabbrici, tenuta presso la biblioteca Panizzi eìdi Reggio Emilia nel 2025
We had a wonderfu holiday at the impressiver hilltop Villa at Sterlinghe. Look them up at https://sterlinghe.com/
New Edit To celebrate the 200th anniversary episode, which coincided with the 8th anniversary, we decided to hear from you, dear constant listener to create a special episode to celebrate this great milestone with many more hopefully to come. As well as greetings, we'll hear about: Sieges vs Battles Moving…
Episode Summary With Giovanni dalle Bande Nere gone, we return to Florence to witness the dramatic collapse of the centuries-old Florentine Republic and the emergence of Medici princely rule. Against the backdrop of the Sack of Rome, religious extremism, political infighting, and imperial intervention, this episode follows Florence’s final republican…
In this episode, we trace the final chapters in the life of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, the last great condottiero of Renaissance Italy, and his unlikely, enduring friendship with the scandalous writer Pietro Aretino. From political satire in Rome to blood-soaked battlefields in Lombardy and Umbria, this story intertwines art,…
Episode Summary Picking up where we left off, Giovanni de’ Medici, son of Caterina Sforza and known to history as Giovanni of the Black Bands, continues his meteoric rise through the bloody and chaotic world of Renaissance warfare. Backed by a Medici pope and driven by his fierce loyalty to…
Hello You! for our 220th and 8th anniversary episode I thought I would invite contributions from the most VIP I could think of... YOU! So please send in a sound file or, if you don't feel like it, written message with a contribution, consideration, question, something i didn't mention or…
In this episode, we reunite with an old friend of the show — Caterina Sforza, the indomitable “Tigress of Forlì.” From her, we follow the turbulent and violent early life of her son, Giovanni de’ Medici, known as Il Gran Diavolo — the Great Devil — a man whose passions,…
In this episode, we pick up with Emperor Charles V consolidating his power over Italy after the Battle of Pavia (1525), where the French king Francis I was captured. The uneasy Italian states, including Pope Clement VII (Giulio de’ Medici), soon realized they had traded one master for another and…
After three episodes exploring the life of Leonardo da Vinci, we return to the turbulent stage of the Italian Wars. In this episode, we pick up in the early 1520s, a period shaped by papal politics, dynastic rivalries, and the shifting fortunes of France and Spain. Highlights include: • The…
This is a guest episode by Dirk Hoffmann of the history of the German podcast, in which he tells us all about the impact of one of the most important inventions in human history, Gutenberg printing press.
We explore the fascinating intersection between one of the world’s most famous relics and one of its most brilliant minds: Leonardo Da Vinci and the Shroud of Turin. Was Da Vinci somehow connected to this mysterious cloth? Could he have had the knowledge, access, and motive? 🕯️ What You’ll Hear:…
Early Life & Education • Born illegitimate, Leonardo spent his youth sketching and observing nature. • After moving to Florence, he entered the prestigious workshop of Andrea Verrocchio, where he learned not only painting but also the chemistry behind pigments and the mechanics of sculpture and engineering. 🎨 Artistic Breakthroughs…
Starting from reasons to have a good cry, particularly concerning hair, we then head to Vinci, outside Florence in the mid 1400's to witness the birth and early childhood of Leonardo to see the start of some of the characteristics that will accompany him for the rest of his life.…
In this episode, we dive into the dramatic papacy of Pope Leo X, exploring his efforts to secure Medici power, his architectural and social reforms in Rome, and his role in the early days of the Protestant Reformation. We track how his favoritism toward Florence shaped papal policy, the challenges…
Of course! Here's the revised version of the summary show notes with key words and phrases bolded for emphasis: In this episode, we explore the turbulent political and religious landscape of Italy and Europe in the late 1510s—a pivotal prelude to the Protestant Reformation. 🔹 Power Shifts in Europe •…
