Italians who changed our world Introducing the Italians who redefined culture, history and our perspective in both classic and contemporary times.
Donatello Considered the founder of modern sculpture, Donato de Bardi was born in Florence in 1386. His bronze David was the first nude statue of the Renaissance. Michelangelo Buonarroti Born in Caprese, near Florence, in 1475, this magnificent artist and sculptor transformed blocks of marble into figures full of life. His immortal works include the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museum, the Pieta and The Last Judgment. St. Francis of Assisi Giovanni Francesco Barnardone was born to a wealthy merchant family in Assisi around 1181. After taking a vow of poverty, he preached for simplicity and humility before God – to animals as well as to humans. The founder of the Franciscan order, he is also the patron saint of animals and of the environment. Dante Alighieri A literary colossus, born in Florence in 1265, author of The Divine Comedy and father of the Italian language. Sandro Botticelli A friend of both Leonardo and Michelangelo, born in 1445 and renowned for religious and secular-themed
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Garavani was born near Milan in 1932. His Collezione Bianca was the first to have the magic V label. Valentino also designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis.
masterpieces such as the Primavera, Birth of Venus and Adoration of the Magi.
now acknowledged as one of the supreme artists of the 15th century.
Marco Polo Born in Venice in 1254, Marco Polo’s 24year odyssey through Asia opened up the Orient to Europe. He traveled the ancient Silk Route, was a guest at the court of the emperor Kublai Khan, and his accounts became the greatest exotic travelogues of their day.
Christopher Columbus Born in Genova in 1451, his home still stands today. Columbus guided his three-vessel expedition across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, aiming to reach the Far East through a westward course. Instead, he landed in the Caribbean and is credited with rediscovering America in modern times.
Giotto Ambrogio Bondone was born in Vespignano near Florence, in 1267. He is best known for the emotion and realism depicted in his frescoes, which grace the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova and the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Filippo Brunelleschi Born in Florence in 1377, Brunelleschi was an architect, engineer and an inventor. His crowning masterpiece, the Duomo in Florence established new rules of proportion and symmetry. Masaccio Tommaso Masaccio was born in San Giovanni Valdarno, Tuscany in 1401. Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael were all influenced by his work, a collection of which lies in the Brancacci Chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence. Piero Della Francesca Born in Borgo San Sepolcro, Tuscany in 1416, his major work is a series of frescos entitled The Legend of the True Cross adorning the choir of San Francis in Arezzo. Overlooked for centuries, he is
Leonardo da Vinci Born in Vinci, near Florence, in 1452. A Renaissance genius, world-renowned for his paintings, including The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Leonardo was also a master architect, engineer, mathematician and philosopher. Amerigo Vespucci Born in Florence in 1454, Amerigo was a navigator and merchant who estimated the world’s circumference within 50 miles. He concluded America was not the eastern part of Asia, as Columbus believed, but a new continent. It is duly named after him. Niccolò Machiavelli Born in San Casciano in Val di Pesa, near Florence in 1469, Machiavelli was a political philosopher, a historian, writer, statesman and diplomat. His book, “The Prince,” is a guide to acquiring, maintaining and deploying political power; its controversial ideas are still taught and studied today. Titian Tiziano Vecellio was born in Pieve di Cadore in the Dolomites in 1490. Venice’s
Gianni Versace Born in Reggio Calabria in 1946, couture icon Versace is known for his striking colors, materials, and cuts, and opened his first boutique in Milan’s Via della Spiga in 1978.
master painter, his most recognized work, l’Amor Sacro e l’Amor Profano, is on display at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. Raphael Raffaello Sanzio was born in Urbino in 1483. His superb use of perspective, realism and animation is exemplified by the School of Athens adorning the walls of the Vatican. Andrea Palladio One of history’s most influential architects, born in Padova in 1508. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello home was based on Palladio’s pioneering designs. The Veneto region features numerous Palladian villas. Galileo Galilei Born in Pisa in 1564, the inventor of the first astronomical telescope also presaged Newton’s laws of motion and confirmed the Copernican theory of the solar system. Charged with heresy and forced to renounce his theories, his work was officially recognized by The Vatican in 1993. Artemisia Gentileschi Born in Rome in 1593, Artemisia was the daughter of artist Orazio Gentileschi. Recognized as the first woman artist in a male-dominated world of post-Renaissance art, her works are to be found in Rome and in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. Gian Lorenzo Bernini Born in Naples in 1598, Bernini was
Umberto Eco
the dominant figure of Italian baroque sculpture and architecture, using false perspective and trompe l’oeil to capture the spectator. His works include St. Peter’s Throne in the Vatican and numerous Roman churches. Caravaggio Born Michelangelo Merisi in Caravaggio, east of Milan, in 1571, his baroque style explored the balance between light and dark, portraying still life in astonishingly realistic form - as shown in Basket of Fruit, The Musicians and the Burial of Saint Lucy.
The author of Foucault’s Pendulum and The Name of the Rose was born in Alessandria, Piemonte in 1932. His background in philosophy, medieval literature and mysticism has captured a generation of loyal readers. Luciano Pavarotti Born on the outskirts of Modena in 1935 and arguably the most important tenor since Caruso, Pavarotti combines accuracy of pitch and quality of sound production with a natural musicality. He is widely acknowledged for having popularized opera.
Enrico Caruso Born in Naples in 1873, Caruso is perhaps the greatest operatic tenor ever. He emigrated to the United States in 1905 due to his heavily criticized interpretation of Elisir D’Amore. Enzo Ferrari Born in Modena in 1898, Ferrari’s innovation, beauty and style in automotive design continues to make his vehicles the most sought after in the world. Valentino Innovative fashion designer Valentino
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