A History of Italy
By Mike Corradi
Categories: History, Leisure, Education
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.
308 episodes indexed on podsearch.
Recent episodes
- 207 - Miccolò Machiavelli
Episode Show NotesLove 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…
- The April 2027 AHOI Grand Tour!
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…
- A History of archeology
Episode SummaryForget 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…
- Interview episode: Learning Italian with Margherita from "Italian Matters"
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…
- A hiatus announcement and an announcement of an announcement
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...Mentioned in this episode:Listen Vivacefollow…
- Isabella d’Este — The First Lady of the Renaissance
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…
- Call for contributions for the podcast website
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…
- Interview episode: The Toscanini conspiracy with Filippo Iannarone
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…
- 205 - Venice back on its feet (more or less (1516 to 1540)
Episode SummaryThe 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…
- 204 - The Rustic War in Trentino
Here are your show notes, in the same structured style and tone as before:Show NotesLink to Trentino tour: https://voicemap.me/tour/trento/italy-s-gateway-to-europe-from-medieval-to-modern-trentoEpisode OverviewIn 1525, revolutionary ideas inspired by the Protestant Reformation spread from Germany…
- 203 - Piedmont and the Savoy in the early 1500's - How to lose a duchy
Episode OverviewContinuing 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…
- 202 - Spanish Italy in the early 1500's -The Kingdom of Naples
Episode OverviewHaving 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…
- 201 - Spanish Italy in the early 1500’s - Sardinia and Sicily
Episode OverviewHaving 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…
- 200th episode 8th anniversary
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 BattlesMoving…
- 199 – The dying gasp of the Fiorentine Republic and the first duke
Episode SummaryWith 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…
- 198 - Giovanni dalle Bande Nere part 3: Pietro Aretino and shot down in a blaze of glory
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…
- 197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy
Episode SummaryPicking 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…
- Call for contributions: episode 200 and 8th anniversary
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…
- 196 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part 1: birth of a legend
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…
- 195 - Italian Wars 12 - The sack of Rome (again) and the end of the Sforza (1526 - 1530)
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…
- 194 - The Italian Wars 11 - Medici pope to Medici pope - Battle of Pavia and Cognac
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 succession…
- What has the printing press ever done for us? - Guest episode by the History of the Germans
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:Listen Vivacefollow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never…
- Summer update
Just to let you know I haven’t disappeared!Mentioned in this episode:Listen Vivacefollow @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…
- 193 - Leonardo Da Vinci part 3 - twilight and legacy
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…
- Leonardo Da Vinci part 2 - from Florence to Milan
Early Life & EducationBorn 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…
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