Episode Show Notes

Love poems that sound like a lovestruck teenager wrote them, but whose author has become a byword for scheming? In this episode we meet the real Niccolò Machiavelli, the Renaissance Florentine whose name became the adjective "Machiavellian." His reputation rests on one part of his most famous work, The Prince (De Principatibus), a treatise on gaining and keeping power that many see as the foundation of modern political science. But was Machiavelli really the ruthless opportunist we imagine, or something more complex?

We follow his life from his birth in F...

So, over the years perhaps my greatest pleasure in interacting with you, my dear listener, has been the times someone has been to Italy and stopped off to see me. Actually, my star actress Lucy believes they probably come to see her, but that's part of the family debate.

Anyway, I thought, why not make things official and see if we can't get together in a bigger group and enjoy not just a day, but a whole 9 days.

So, that is why, I am happily and enthusiastically announcing:

Episode Summary

Forget the whip and the fedora — the real story of archaeology is a 500-year glow-up from rich-guy hobbyism to laser-equipped aircraft revealing lost cities. In this episode, we trace how archaeology (from the Greek for "study of the past") evolved from Renaissance collectors chasing ancient coins for prestige, into a rigorous science built on stratigraphy, typology, and hard chemistry.

We start with 14th-century Italy, where Petrarch and Boccaccio kick off the antiquarian craze, and traveling collector Ciriaco de' Pizzicolli sketches the Acropolis like a Renaissance travel blogger. Popes get in on it too — Sixt...

We speak with Margherita Berti, founder of Italian Matters, an online Italian language school that helps adult learners build confidence and make consistent progress in Italian through a practical, structured approach.

In this conversation, she shares effective learning strategies, common mistakes to avoid, and the habits, resources, and mindset that can help learners speak Italian.

To learn more about her upcoming book: https://italianmatters.com/book/

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follow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never finished. There is...

Just a quick message to let you know that the podcast may be slowing down a bit over the next month or so as i am studying for the exam to become a recognised Italian tour guide.

Also to give you a little hint for an upcoming surprise...

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follow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never finished. There is always another version of yourself waiting to emerge. Vivace exists for women who believe the most beautiful part of life is not what has already happened...

In this episode of A History of Italy, we explore the extraordinary life of Isabella d’Este, one of the most influential women of the Italian Renaissance and arguably the closest thing the 15th and 16th centuries had to a modern celebrity influencer.

Born into the powerful House of Este in Ferrara and married into the Gonzaga dynasty of Mantua, Isabella navigated the violent and unstable political world of Renaissance Italy with intelligence, diplomacy and cultural sophistication. While others became famous through warfare or scandal, Isabella built her power through patronage, image, political skill and culture.

...

We are opening a new section of the podcast website with contributions from you, dear listener!

You can send in articles, thoughts, family stories and so on.

They should be:

Pertinent to Italy, trips to Italy Italian culture and history or Italians abroad.

Not contain vulgarity /unless required for the story of quoted) hate speech, promote gambling and so on

Contain references to sources

You can also add a quick bio if you like

[email protected]

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When the president of the brand new Republic of Italy, Luigi Einaudi decides in 1946 he wants to exercise his right to select 5 illustrious Italians to be senators for life, one of his choices falls on world famous conductor Arturo Toscanini. The candidates, however, must have a spotless reputation and the check into the conductors life soon reveals that he was present in the small sleepy Tuscan of Piazze at the time of an infamous murder, that of a famous doctor, Alberto Rinaldi.

Retired Colonel Luigi Mari is assigned to investigate and soon discovers that the truth to...

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. But survival came at a cost: a shifting role in European trade, rising global powers, and increasingly complex political alliances.

As Venice navigates between France, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, we explore how the Republic relied on its tradit...

Here are your show notes, in the same structured style and tone as before:

Show Notes

Link to Trentino tour: https://voicemap.me/tour/trento/italy-s-gateway-to-europe-from-medieval-to-modern-trento

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 and clergy.

In this episode, we explore how social tensions, natural disasters, and religious reform combined to ignite rebellion in the region, how leaders like Michael Gaismair attempted to reshape soci...

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 in the region — the Marquisate of Saluzzo, the Marquisate of Monferrato, and above all the Duchy of Savoy.

Once an expanding Alpine power controlling vital mountain passes, Savoy would find itself caught between the ambitions of France and the Habsburg Empire during the It...

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 delicate.

In this episode, we follow the kingdom from consolidation under Spanish rule through internal tensions, shifting viceroys, the Battle of Ravenna, and finally to the dramatic French siege of Naples in 1528 — a moment when the city came dangerously close to slipping from Spani...

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 a tour of the Italian peninsula’s two great islands — Sardinia and Sicily — and the Kingdom of Naples’ wider Mediterranean context. Though often treated as peripheral, these territories were central to Spanish power in Italy and deeply affected by war, rebellion, piracy, and imperial amb...

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 Michelangelo artwork

An influential writer at the court of pope Leo X

The legend of the heart of bricks hidden among the alleyways of Venice

A warning from the lovely town of Carpi

The story of the...

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 experiment and introduces one of its most controversial rulers: Alessandro de’ Medici, the first Duke of Florence.

Key Topics Covered

The Aftermath of the Sack of Rome (1527)

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, warfare, ambition, and the sweeping changes that transformed European conflict forever.

Key Topics Covered

Pietro Aretino: Scandal, Satire & Survival

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 his men, Giovanni’s legend as a mercenary commander — and his troubles with the powerful Medici family — only grow.

Host Mike Corradi unpacks the dangerous charisma, discipline, and contradictions of this larger-than-life condottiero: a man both feared and admired, ruthless yet loyal, reckless yet revered. From duels a...

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 talk about enough.

Please send by 31st December at the very latest.

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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, battles, and excesses would shape the future of both the Sforza and Medicidynasties.

We go through the tangled lineage and fiery temperament of one of Renaissance Italy’s most fascinating figures, tracing his path from rebellious youth to feared mercenary captain — and father to the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.

What You’ll Hear i...

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 formed the League of Cognac (1526) — an anti-imperial alliance including France, Venice, Florence, the Papal States, Milan, and under English protection, Henry VIII.

The league’s formation was steeped in intrigue, false pretenses, and even secret dealings with the Turks. One of Charles’s own commanders, the Marquis of Pescara, pretended...

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:

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.

Mentioned in this episode:

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follow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never finished. There is always another version of yourself waiting to emerge. Vivace exists for women who believe the most beautiful part of life is not what has already happened, but what comes next. https://vivacenetwork.com/

Vivace Media Network

Just to let you know I haven’t disappeared!

Mentioned in this episode:

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follow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never finished. There is always another version of yourself waiting to emerge. Vivace exists for women who believe the most beautiful part of life is not what has already happened, but what comes next. https://vivacenetwork.com/

Vivace Media Network

Listen Vivace

follow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never finished. There is always another version of yourself waiting to emerge. Vivace exists for women wh...

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

🎨 Artistic Breakthroughs

⚙️ Engineering Mindset

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. We hear about who gave and didn't give him affection and how his status as an illegitimate child was not all for the worst.

Here is the link to our generous sponsor

https://sterlinghe.com/

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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 he faced with Martin Luther, and the growing religious divide that would soon shake Europe to its core.

We also spotlight Leo's political maneuvers in Italy, from annexing Urbino and Perugia to negotiating alliances with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. And of course, there's a bit...

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

🔹 Venetian & P...

In this episode, we pick up the story of the Medici family as they return to Florence, armed with the great news of Giovanni de' Medicibecoming Pope Leo X. We dive into:

Among the many casualties of the battle of Garigliano was Piero de Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Piero, previously exiled from Florence for his poor leadership during the invasion of Charles VIII in 1494, drowned while trying to escape the battle. His body was found and buried at Montecassino Abbey, under the protection of his brother, Cardinal Giovanni de Medici.

Florence in Transition

After the fall of Girolamo Savonarola, Florence entered a period of unstable governance:

After the release of the series "Secret Kingdom - God's banker" we talk with the podcast creator Nicolò Majnoni about the Roberto Calvi affair and talk about Italy in the early 80's, the Vatican, the Cold War, Freemasons and the Mafia

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follow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never finished. There is always another version of yourself waiting to emerge. Vivace exists for women who believe the most beautiful part of life is not what has already happened, but what comes next. https://vivacenetwork.com/

V...

In this episode, we dive into a personal story that kicks off with a Christmas party invitation and an unexpected wardrobe choice — a kilt. From this quirky start, we delve into the historical significance of Sicily, a land that has shaped centuries of Mediterranean history.

The episode takes us on a journey from the ancient Carthaginian and Greek settlements to the present day, with a special focus on Palermo, Catania, and Messina. We hear about the Normans, the Arabs, and the rise of the Roman Empire in Sicily. Along the way, we uncover the island's rich cultural la...

Venice is reeling from the defeat at Agnadello, but immediately starts the comeback egged on by doge Lorenzo Loredan. After some promising victories they suffer another defeat at the hands of the League of Cambrai at Polisella.

When all seems once again lost, Pope Julius II changes sides, allying with Venice and seeking to expel the French from Italy, which he manages to do after forming the Holy League of 1512.

Mentioned in this episode:

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From the Roman fast food joints in the marvel that is Pompei, to the buzzing historical streets of Naples and the witches of Benevento, we're going off, thanks to Explore Worldwide, to explore the southern Italian Region of Campania.

What happened to the tree of the witches?

What is the "Naples Splitter"?

Where is the most iconic coast of Italy?

Can you actually move without tripping over a UNESCO world heritage site?

Which city had bad wind?

How many people can you fit on a scooter?

After following the adventures of Julius II we go and visit with Venice, who is having ups and downs, losing influence as the attentipn of the world turns to the Atlantic, losing colonies to the Turks and starting to make enemies in Europe, powerful enemies that will come together in the league of Cambrai, leading to the dramatic battle of Agnedello in 1509.

Oh and we also have the mysterious death of would-be doge Filippo Tron: was he murdered, or just seriously overweight?

Mentioned in this episode:

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We start from Siena, with the story of how I almost got beaten up and why there is an extra bit of Siena cathedral added on and incomplete. The it's up to Florence to visit with the Medici, Da Vinci, Botticelli and Simonetta Vespucci, his Venus. From the capital of the Renaissance we head to their arch enemy Pisa and their wonky tower and then Lucca, with its Holy Face and medieval walls. After a bit of wine tasting in Val D'Orcia with some Brunello di Montalcino and Montepulciano we head to the seaside in Orbetello, province of Grosseto...

Giuliano della Rovere, after trying for more than a decade, finally manages to become pope Julius II in 1503. He gets to work breaking the last resistance of Cesare Borgia, then has to sort out his Papal States, gobbled up by Venice in the north with a whole series of local lords taking back power.

In all of this, the pope calls in a special decorator to do some touch up work in the Sistine chapel, a certain Michelangelo Buonarroti.

In the sketch we imagine the conversation between the two.

<...

We stop and take a look back at the episodes that cover the late 1400's as Italy completed her transition from the middle ages to the Renaissance and the lead up to the Italian Wars after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

We retrace the campaign of king Charles VIII of France, the adventures of Ludovico Sforza, Il Moro, the end of the independence of the kingdom of Naples and, in the background the rise and fall of the Borgias, as well as the last stand of the Tigress of Forlì, Caterina Sforza.

Mentioned in t...

We take a little trip around the region of Lombardy, going beyond the financial and fashion capital Milan, to explore the beautiful nature of lake Como and hear all about the lake, monster that resides there. On the way, we will hear about a bridge, built by the devil in Pavia and the ghost that horns, the castle above the city of Como.

We will also also make a stop off in the picturesque Bergamo and find out why there is a family emblem with three sets of testicles in front of the chapel in Piazza Duomo...

Which is the Italian region that can drink you under the table?

Tradition would say it's Veneto and with wines such as Amarone della Valpolicella and Prosecco, it's not gard to believe.

We start our journey trying not to talk too much about Venice and then doing just that, seeing the legend of the heart of brick and why the Gondola got its shape.

The theme of love then, of course, takes us to the Verona of Romeo and Juliet, but before we get there we will hear the true story of how...