Falling hero
Born in Correggio in 1885, Dorando Pietri finished first in the marathon at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, but was subsequently disqualified… To the sound of a cheering crowd and the sight of much More...
Past Italia: Abbazia di Santa Maria di Pulsano
Pulsano Abbey stands on the spur of Italy’s heel in the Gargano area of Puglia, overlooking the Gulf of Manfredonia Photo by Getty Images There has been an abbey at this location on the Gargano promontory since More...
Past Italia: La Villa Donn’Anna
This historic but dilapidated residence sits on the Posillipo coast in Naples, west of the Mergellina harbour, some way beyond the Castel dell’Ovo… Photo by Getty Images The Villa Donn’Anna takes its name More...
Past Italia: Ostia Antica
The Mithraic Mysteries was once the predominant religious practice in Rome, and some archeological remains of this pre-Christian religion still survive… Photo by Getty Images Before Constantine converted to Christianity More...
Past Italia: Marcus Aurelius on horseback
The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius stands centre stage in Rome’s Piazza del Campidoglio… Photo by Getty Images One of the few stipulations that the Pope made when he commissioned Michelangelo to redesign More...
Past Italia: Santa Maria del Monte
La Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte climbs to the church of St Mary of the Mount in Caltagirone, Sicily The Church of Saint Mary of the Mount in Caltagirone dates back to the 12th-century; its staircase More...
Past Italia: La Chiesa di San Pietro
St Peter‘s (La Chiesa di San Pietro) in Portovenere stands on a promontory overlooking the Gulf of Poets Saint Peter’s at Portovenere is built on the site of a 5th-century church, and before that an earlier, More...
Past Italia: Il Castello di Santa Severa
The medieval castle of Santa Severa faces out to sea on the Lazio coast, just 40 minutes north of Rome The Castle of Saint Severa is named after a young girl whose entire family was martyred. Her father was a More...
Past Italia: Arezzo Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Donatus in Arezzo, Tuscany, boasts a long history and some eye-catching architecture Arezzo Cathedral (iStock) La Cattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Donato is the city cathedral of More...
Past Italia: Pasta in Italy
This image of a 19th-century factory in Naples illustrates just how fundamental pasta is to Italian cuisine Where or when pasta originated is something we will never know. A lot of the problem lies in what we mean More...