Category Archives: Italian History

Berlusconi Loses Milano

Posted on May 30, 2011 by briansandberg

Silvio Berlusconi has lost control of the municipal government of Milano, ending 18 years of center right rule in the city. The center left candidate, Giuliano Pisapia, beat Letizia Moratti (a close ally of Berlusconi’s) to become Milano’s next mayor. … Continue reading →

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The Killing Seas: Mediterranean Migration

Posted on May 29, 2011 by briansandberg

Anthropologist Hans Lucht discusses the precarious lives of modern-day Mediterranean migrants from Africa who embark in North Africa for Italy in an op-ed in the New York Times. Lucht points out that southern European nations have long worked with Qaddafi’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, French History, Human Rights, Italian History, Mediterranean World, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Bunga Bunga Jokes

Posted on April 10, 2011 by briansandberg

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi continues to ridicule Italian women and the Italian justice system as his latest trial moves forward. Berlusconi’s latest mode of ridicule is to “invite” young women to “bunga, bunga” parties during a ceremony honoring college graduates.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Italian History, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Hunt for the “real” Mona Lisa

Posted on April 6, 2011 by briansandberg

The never-ending hunt for the “real” woman portrayed in Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is taking a new twist.  In the latest CSI-meets-art history research, an Italian art historian is attempting to locate and exhume the body of Lisa Gherardini, … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Humanities, European History, History in the Media, Italian History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

The Borgias: Renaissance on TV

Posted on April 3, 2011 by briansandberg

The Renaissance comes to life on a new TV series on Showtime, beginning tonight.  The series is entitled The Borgias, starring Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander VI. See a trailer and further information on The Borgias on Showtime’s website. Students … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Historical Film, History in the Media, Italian History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Neapolitan Music and the Camorra

Posted on March 27, 2011 by briansandberg

A new musical movement in Naples appears to be intimately linked with the Camorra (Neapolitan mafia). WBEZ’s Worldview offers a story on the “neomelodics.”

Posted in Italian History, Music History | Leave a comment