187 - The balls are back in town - the Medici return (1503 - 1513)

Which is the Italian region that can drink you under the table?Tradition would say it's Veneto and with wines such as Amarone della Valpolicella and Prosecco, it's not gard to believe.We start our journey trying not to talk too much about Venice and then doing just that, seeing the legend of the heart of brick and why the Gondola got its shape.The theme of love then, of course, takes us to the Verona of Romeo and Juliet, but before we get there we will hear the true story of how the Venetians took a fleet overland and up and down mountains to get it into Lake Garda.Our stay in Verona will allow us to talk about factional fighting and Guelphs and Ghibellines and then it's East to the Vicenza of Andrea .Palladio, before heading north into the mountains of Belluno.We then get some more Venice like experience in Treviso, home of Prosecco and tiramisu where we hear where the habit of counting sheep came from with the powerful Ezzelino da Romano.We of course can't avoid a trip to Padova, to hear about their local boy, St Anthony.Our guide in the tour will be Explore Worldwide:Click here for Adventure Travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore!

21 Jan 23min

Just when the Borgias seem at the top of their game and that nothing could possibly stop them, in August of 1503 pope Alexander VI, after a dinner party at a cardinal's house, becomes seriously ill and died after two weeks. His son Cesare also becomes very ill and cannot sum up the energy to control the fallout of the situation and outmanoeuvre the Borgia's arch enemy, cardinal Giuliano della Rovere.In the end the inevitable happens and he becomes pope Julius II, sealing the impeding doom of Cesare Borgias who, after some time in captivity, seems to take the option of going out in a blaze of glory.

14 Jan 20min

In our first episode of the Regional Italy miniseries we explore the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, travelling initially along the ancient Roman road created by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.We start from the beautiful castles of the province of Piacenza, then cross the river to Parma, the culinary capital of Euope. Then it's a visit with Matilda countess of Canossa in Reggio Emilia before visiting with Ferraris and Pavarotti in Modena. After that, remembering the battle of the bucket takes us from Modena to Bologna. We leave the Via Emilia for a moment to explore the lands of the ancient house of Este in Ferrara and then the ancient imperial capital of Ravenna. Heading south brings us to the lands of Caterina Afroza, the "Tigress of Forlì" before we cross the Rubicon and end our tour in Rimini, visiting the bridge of Tiberius, the arch of Augustus and the Malatesta castle where we find the Federico Fellini museum.Our guide in the tour will be Explore Worldwide:Click here for Adventure Travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore!

7 Jan 31min

While wishing you a "Buon Anno" (Happy New Year" we are also excited to announce the launch of our new miniseries on the Italian regions:Regional Italy!Thanks to the support of our friends at Explore Worldwide, we'll be looking at the culture, landscape, legends and history of some of Italy's 20 beautiful regions.Join us!https://www.exploreworldwide.com/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Spotify&utm_campaign=History+of+Italy+Podcast

31 Des 20246min

Just a quick one to wish you a happy whatever you are celebrating, or not celebrating and give you the gift of my rendition of the famous poem "a visit from Alaric" also known as "T'was the night before Saturnalia".

24 Des 20242min

People in Italy are getting very nervous about Cesare Borgia's successes, at times reached with treachery, and some of the unhappy party are actually Il Valentino's captains. When rebellion breaks out they see their chance and jump on the bandwagon. However, when things don't turn out as planned, the captains have to hope Cesare's forgiveness is sincere...

10 Des 202417min

Just a quick update to apologise for a publishing delay and tell you a little about our sketches, the Italian school system and the current political situation in Italy

4 Des 20247min

After doing his part for the French in the second Italian War Cesare Borgia heads back to Rome to concur with his father pope Alexander VI. They take care of some internal business with the Colonna, Orsini and Savelli and Cesare takes some time to kill some bulls and impregnate a few women.Then Cesare heads back to expand his duchy of Romagna aiming for Camerino and Urbino of the Montefeltro, while his captains, particularly Vitelozzo Vitelli and Giampsolo Baglioni.As Cesare rises higher, those around him, even the allies, start to worry.

19 Nov 202415min