Guglielmo Marconi

In 1895 Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi built the equipment and transmitted electrical signals through the air from one end of his house to the other, and then from the house to the garden. These experiments were, in effect, the dawn of practical wireless telegraphy or radio.

Following the successes of his experiments at home, Marconi ...

Niccol? Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy. He eventually became a man who lived his life for politics and patriotism. Right now, however, he is associated with corrupt, totalitarian government. The reason for this is a small pamphlet he wrote called The Prince to gain influence with the ruling Medici family in Florence. The po ...

Gina Lollobrigida

Gina Lollobrigida represented the Italian brand of womanhood for a whole generation. A strong and multi-talented lady, she is still one of the legends of world cinema. Born in Subiaco, the second of four daughters, Gina has memories of a very difficult childhood during World War II. Her film career began by chance when talent scouts were looking ...

Sofia Loren

On September 20, 1934, at Rome’s Clinica Regina Margherita, Romilda Villani welcomed her daughter Sofia Scicolone into the world. Fourteen years later, Sofia would dominate beauty pageants, and begin working toward her dream of becoming an actress. She would eventually change the spelling of her name to Sophia, and experiment with the last name Laz ...

Sergio Leone

Sergio Leone was virtually born into the cinema - he was the son of Vincenzo Leone, one of Italy's cinema pioneers, and actress Bice Waleran. Leone entered films in his late teens, working as an assistant director to both Italian directors and Americans working in Italy (usually making Biblical and Roman epics, much in vogue at the time). Towards t ...