The House of Borgia , one of the most infamous families of the Renaissance, is synonymous with ambition, power, and scandal. Pope Alexander VI, born Rodrigo Borgia, epitomizes their controversial...
Today, after 414 years, the castle of Vejano (once Viano), Italy opened its heavy doors to experts coming from seven countries. Prince Landolfo di Napoli Rampolli, whose family has owned the castle...
A large medieval or Renaissance castle has been discovered amongst the foliage of a hill in Lazio, Italy. The discovery was made after investigations based on satellite imaging, which clearly...
Rome was the adopted hometown of the Borgia; they were originally from the Catalan region of Spain. The Roman branch of the Santacroce family had lived in Rome for a few centuries. In this episode,...
How did people unwind in the Renaissance? Well, spa baths were still popular since the days of the Roman Republic, but also competitions, and of course, who doesn’t love a good feast? All of these...
The current castle at Bracciano - Orsini-Odescalchi Castle - was built by Napoleone Orsini and his son Virginio starting in 1470. It is one the best maintained castles in Italy and host to numerous...
Having a home in the fascinating historic town of Vejano, north of Rome, fueled Marcello Assandri’s curiosity about the history of the area. He has scoured the National State Italian Archive, the...
Niccolo Machiavelli, a 16th-century man, is today still feared and yet revered. Machiavelli has come to represent the archetype of a scheming and conniving mastermind and even modern psychology...
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, known more commonly as Leonardo da Vinci, is arguably one of the most well-known figures of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo’s primary claim to fame is in the field...
Archaeologists have found an artifact made of jadeite at an Olmec site in Mexico that they think represents a cob of corn and that may have been offered to the gods. Corn was a vitally important crop...