Italy

Do the Italian Elections Reflect a Turn to Fascism or Cynicism?

Giorgio Meloni's electoral success may simply reflect Italians' frustrations with national leadership more than a permanent shift, argues political analyst Yascha Mounk. 

The Cinematic Sainthood of Diego Maradona

"The passionate relationship between a legendary soccer player and an Italian city lies at the heart of The Hand of God, the new movie from Paolo Sorrentino."

In the Land of Godfathers, the Church Pushes the Tradition Aside

Church authorities in Sicily have grown concerned that the naming of baptismal godparents has been subordinated to secular concerns of social networking, in extreme cases tied to organized crime. 

How Venetians Invented Health Care

by Meredith F. Small

It's been widely discussed during this pandemic year that Venetians invented the quarantine. But the author of a new book on Venice's history of innovation argues that it was just one of the public health measures for which we can thank them.

Florence Revives Medieval Plague-Era ‘Wine Windows’ for Contactless Service

In Florence, the need for bars and restaurants to serve food and drinks in a socially distanced manner has seen a medieval architectural oddity revived.

A Mathematical Duel in 16th Century Venice (Excerpt)

by Fabio Toscano translated Arturo Sangalli

The advancement of mathematics in renaissance Italy was complicated by a context of secrecy, jealousy, and competitive dueling governed by implicit codes of honor.

Has Italy Fallen, Again, to Dictatorship?

by Christopher Binetti

As a result of several factors--a tradition of temporary strongman leaders, a history of disguised dictatorship, and a unitary government for a regionally divided people--Italy has been more susceptible than other liberal democracies of falling into autocracy in the current COVID crisis. 

HNN's Robin Lindley Interviews Medical Historian Frank Snowden

by Robin Lindley

Professor Frank Snowden discusses the situation in Italy, the progress of COVID-19 and governments' responses to it, and his career researching the history of epidemics.  

Illinois State University Professor in Italy: "It Got Real Bad Real Fast"

"I didn't take this thing as seriously as I should have. No one here really did," said Jasper. "It got real bad, real fast."

Getting Medieval on COVID? The Risks of Periodizing Public Health

by G. Geltner

Pundits have described fighting the pandemic in terms of “medieval” or “modern” approaches. A historian of late medieval public health explains that dichotomy is a false one, and dangerous as well.

What the Plague Can Teach Us about the Coronavirus

by Hannah Marcus

The distant past is not our best source of advice for pathogen containment. But it does offer clear lessons about human responses to outbreaks of infectious disease.

New Statue Unsettles Italian City: Is It Celebrating a Poet or a Nationalist?

Boasting a proud literary pedigree, Trieste is populated with statues. But none has provoked passions like that of Gabriele d’Annunzio, who inspired Fascism and briefly ruled his own state last century.

A House in the Mountains by Caroline Moorehead review – a riveting tale of resistance in Turin

by Tobias Jones

A gripping narrative within A House in the Mountains by Caroline Moorehead of four extraordinary women who delivered intelligence, letters and weaponry in the cause of resisting the German occupation of Italy

The Original War on Terror

by Eric Laursen

A review of Nunzio Pernicone and Fraser M. Ottanelli, Assassins against the Old Order: Italian Anarchist Violence in Fin de Siècle Europe.

Beware, Democrats. Impeaching Trump will backfire

by Carlo Invernizzi-Accetti

From a legal point of view, the case for impeaching Trump may well be difficult to resist. Politically, though, it’s a different story.

Autocrats do not need a majority to destroy democracy. A divided opposition helps them.

by Claudia Koonz

Trump is not a despot. But neither were Mussolini and Hitler early on.

Remembering Rome's Liberation

by Gregory Sumner

Amid the anniversary of the D-Day invasion, it is important to note, too, the anniversary of an event that unfolded just two days earlier: the Allied liberation of Rome. 

After 100 years, Mussolini’s fascist party is a reminder of the fragility of freedom

by Richard Gunderman

People all over the world need to remember that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

For Italy’s Populists, Everything Is a Nationalist Cause. Even Leonardo.

The hard-right government has accused the French of disrespect and of trying to culturally appropriate the artist in a dispute over loaning his works.

Italians Played Active Role in Holocaust, Professor Claims in "Historiographical Counterblast"

A recently translated book about the Holocaust has claimed that Italian citizens played a crucial and enthusiastic role in the Nazi genocide during World War II.