A History of Italy
Join history buff, Mike Corradi on a journey through time as he unfolds the rich tapestry of the Italian peninsula's history. This chronological story starts with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and leads you through the most iconic events, influential figures, and cultural milestones that have shaped Italy into what we see today. It’s all serious stuff, but we do take time to stop and laugh at battles over a bucket, rude names, naughty priests and popes, rabbits winning sieges, doves winning battles, bits of dead bodies as tokens of love, and whole series of real historical silly situations that no comedian could think of.
Come along every other week for a compelling and insightful glimpse into A History of Italy.
- Update frequency
- every 11 days
- Average duration
- 21 minutes
- Episodes
- 288
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
032 – Saxons to Salians and a fake news legend
1024 - 1037 We look at the passage from Henry II to Conrad and look at the trouble caused for the new emperor by Bishop Aribert of Milan while he tries to consolidate his hold on Italy with the help …
00:21:41 |
Thu 18 Oct 2018
031 – A rebellion in the south, a lion in the north and how Henry II got on
1009 - 1024 We take a look at a forgotten rebellion in the south of Italy headed by an apple tree, check in with the Canossa family to observe their growing power in the north and then see how Holy R…
00:21:55 |
Wed 10 Oct 2018
Special: The massacre of Monte Sole
Between the 29th September and 5th October 1944, the Nazi occupiers of Italy, along with their Fascist allies, rounded up and killed almost 800 civilians, mostly elderly, women and children in the wo…
00:19:00 |
Sun 30 Sep 2018
030 – Saxons, Saracens, Sardinia
We leave Henry II waiting for a moment to look at the increasing Saracen raids in the early 11th century before taking a look at the unique history of the Sardinian "Giudicati".
00:20:43 |
Wed 26 Sep 2018
029 – New millennium, nationalist myths, same old mess
1002 - 1013 As a new millennium dawns on the Italian pensala, we see that nothing much has changed, at least for the moment, as we see Henry II of Bavaria attempting to take power in Italy and then b…
00:17:19 |
Sun 16 Sep 2018
Special: 8th September 1943, from infamy to resistance
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the armistice between the Italian government and the allied forces we look at the fateful day the armistice was announced and the consequences for the Italian f…
00:18:59 |
Mon 10 Sep 2018
028 – The year 1000 and life for the average Giuseppe
After our recap episode, we take a look at the attitudes towards the year 1000 and have a look at what daily life was like for people around that year.
00:17:57 |
Mon 03 Sep 2018
NC 003 – Identity crisis of a Brexit victim
We explore the concept of national identity and pride and look at additive rather than subtractive human pride.
00:09:35 |
Thu 30 Aug 2018
Recap 02 – episodes 014 – 027
In this recap episode we look back over the period from the fall of the Lombard kingdom at the hands of Charlemagne in 774 to the year 1000.
00:20:42 |
Mon 27 Aug 2018
NewsCappuccino 002 – On the possible third Italian republic and unity
A look at the paper is an opportunity to explain the make-up of the current government and prompts consideration about the state of Italian unity today.
00:12:59 |
Thu 23 Aug 2018
NewsCappuccino 001 – Choosing coffee, choosing a government and a visit to Rome
In the bar today a conversation about the government between two men with Roman accents prompts memories of trips to the eternal city, inlacing one adventure riding with a coach-full of modern-day hi…
00:13:16 |
Thu 23 Aug 2018
NewsCappuccino 000 – Launch episode
Welcome to the new Paypal and patron-only feature of "A History of Italy": NewsCapuccino. In this programme we're going to take a look at current affairs, stories and memories, starting from Italy an…
00:04:35 |
Thu 23 Aug 2018
027 – Yet another Otto (III)
983 - 1002 After the death of Otto II, we see how his young son was brought up to manhood under the regency of his mother Theophanu and his grandmother Adelaide of Italy and how he became an emperor …
00:21:21 |
Sun 19 Aug 2018
026 – Another Otto (II)
973 - 983 We take just a moment to mourn Otto I and then proceed to see how his son, Otto II, got on with his attempt to hold the Holy Roman Empire together and even try to expand to all of the Itali…
00:21:10 |
Sun 12 Aug 2018
025 – Ottonian Italy
966 - 973 Otto I of Germany continues to consolidate his hold over Italy, attempting to go all the way south and dislodge the remaining Byzantine presence, meanwhile setting up his son with a Byzanti…
00:19:43 |
Sun 05 Aug 2018
Interview – Daniela Pellacani on Ciro Menotti
We have a chat with Italian teacher and history enthusiast Daniela Pellacani from Carpi on one of the heroes of the Risorgimento, Ciro Menotti.
00:19:12 |
Fri 27 Jul 2018
024 – Outstanding Otto and more mess from a porn pope
951 - 066 We take a look at the reign of the teenage oboe John XII and the start of the struggle between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire
00:19:23 |
Sat 21 Jul 2018
023 – Here come the Ottonians
932 - 955 We look at how Alberic II did after taking control of Rome from his mother Marozia and his stepfather Guido of Provence. Then we jave a look at the usual confusion in northern Italy before …
00:21:08 |
Sat 14 Jul 2018
022 – More mischief from Marozia
910 - 932 We look at the second part of the incredible story of Marozia, as we use her family as an example of the chaos that was early tenth century Italy.
00:22:10 |
Sat 30 Jun 2018
021 – Rowdy Roman Revelry: Marozia's pornocracy
897 - 910 We take a look at the situation of debauchery and corruption that Italy, and more specifically Rome, fell into during the ninth and tenth centuries, with a particular focus on the Tuscolo f…
00:17:51 |
Thu 21 Jun 2018
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