024 – Outstanding Otto and more mess from a porn pope

In the bar today a conversation about the government between two men with Roman accents prompts memories of trips to the eternal city, inlacing one adventure riding with a coach-full of modern-day hippies.

23 Aug 201813min

Welcome to the new Paypal and patron-only feature of "A History of Italy": NewsCapuccino. In this programme we're going to take a look at current affairs, stories and memories, starting from Italy and Italian issues, but taking a look at the world as well.

23 Aug 20184min

983 - 1002 After the death of Otto II, we see how his young son was brought up to manhood under the regency of his mother Theophanu and his grandmother Adelaide of Italy and how he became an emperor with dreams of greatness, as well as how those dress clashed with reality

19 Aug 201821min

973 - 983 We take just a moment to mourn Otto I and then proceed to see how his son, Otto II, got on with his attempt to hold the Holy Roman Empire together and even try to expand to all of the Italian peninsula while dealing with the usual pope complications.

12 Aug 201821min

966 - 973 Otto I of Germany continues to consolidate his hold over Italy, attempting to go all the way south and dislodge the remaining Byzantine presence, meanwhile setting up his son with a Byzantine princess, Theophanu.

5 Aug 201819min

We have a chat with Italian teacher and history enthusiast Daniela Pellacani from Carpi on one of the heroes of the Risorgimento, Ciro Menotti.

27 Jul 201819min

932 - 955 We look at how Alberic II did after taking control of Rome from his mother Marozia and his stepfather Guido of Provence. Then we jave a look at the usual confusion in northern Italy before the descent of the Saxon king Otto I, while we wait for the unforgettable pope John Xii to come on the scene.

14 Jul 201821min