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March 6, 1475～February 18, 1564

born in Caprese, Italy.

Painter, sculptor, architect and poet.

Sculpture "David" and "Pieta", painting "Last Judgment".

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Who Was Michelangelo?

Michelangelo Buonarroti was a painter, sculptor, architect and poet widely considered one of the most brilliant artists of the Italian Renaissance. Michelangelo was an apprentice to a painter before studying in the sculpture gardens of the powerful Medici family.

What followed was a remarkable career as an artist, famed in his own time for his artistic virtuosity. Although he always considered himself a Florentine, Michelangelo lived most of his life in Rome, where he died at age 88.

Early Life

Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, in Caprese, Italy, the second of five sons.

When Michelangelo was born, his father, Leonardo di Buonarrota Simoni, was briefly serving as a magistrate in the small village of Caprese. The family returned to Florence when Michelangelo was still an infant.

His mother, Francesca Neri, was ill, so Michelangelo was placed with a family of stonecutters, where he later jested, "With my wet-nurse's milk, I sucked in the hammer and chisels I use for my statues."

Education

Indeed, Michelangelo was less interested in schooling than watching the painters at nearby churches and drawing what he saw, according to his earliest biographers (Vasari, Condivi and Varchi). It may have been his grammar school friend, Francesco Granacci, six years his senior, who introduced Michelangelo to painter Domenico Ghirlandaio.

Michelangelo's father realized early on that his son had no interest in the family financial business, so he agreed to apprentice him, at the age of 13, to Ghirlandaio and the Florentine painter's fashionable workshop. There, Michelangelo was exposed to the technique of fresco (a mural painting technique where pigment is placed directly on fresh, or wet, lime plaster).

Medici Family

From 1489 to 1492, Michelangelo studied classical sculpture in the palace gardens of Florentine ruler Lorenzo de' Medici of the powerful Medici family. This extraordinary opportunity opened to him after spending only a year at Ghirlandaio's workshop, at his mentor's recommendation.

This was a fertile time for Michelangelo; his years with the family permitted him access to the social elite of Florence - allowing him to study under the respected sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni and exposing him to prominent poets, scholars and learned humanists.

He also obtained special permission from the Catholic Church to study cadavers for insight into anatomy, though exposure to corpses had an adverse effect on his health.

These combined influences laid the groundwork for what would become Michelangelo's distinctive style: a muscular precision and reality combined with an almost lyrical beauty. Two relief sculptures that survive, "Battle of the Centaurs" and "Madonna Seated on a Step," are testaments to his phenomenal talent at the tender age of 16.

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Move to Rome

Political strife in the aftermath of Lorenzo de' Medici's death led Michelangelo to flee to Bologna, where he continued his study. He returned to Florence in 1495 to begin work as a sculptor, modeling his style after masterpieces of classical antiquity.

There are several versions of an intriguing story about Michelangelo's famed "Cupid" sculpture, which was artificially "aged" to resemble a rare antique: One version claims that Michelangelo aged the statue to achieve a certain patina, and another version claims that his art dealer buried the sculpture (an "aging" method) before attempting to pass it off as an antique.

Cardinal Riario of San Giorgio bought the "Cupid" sculpture, believing it as such, and demanded his money back when he discovered he'd been duped. Strangely, in the end, Riario was so impressed with Michelangelo's work that he let the artist keep the money. The cardinal even invited the artist to Rome, where Michelangelo would live and work for the rest of his life.

Personality

Though Michelangelo's brilliant mind and copious talents earned him the regard and patronage of the wealthy and powerful men of Italy, he had his share of detractors.

He had a contentious personality and quick temper, which led to fractious relationships, often with his superiors. This not only got Michelangelo into trouble, it created a pervasive dissatisfaction for the painter, who constantly strived for perfection but was unable to compromise.

He sometimes fell into spells of melancholy, which were recorded in many of his literary works: "I am here in great distress and with great physical strain, and have no friends of any kind, nor do I want them; and I do not have enough time to eat as much as I need; my joy and my sorrow/my repose are these discomforts," he once wrote.

In his youth, Michelangelo had taunted a fellow student, and received a blow on the nose that disfigured him for life. Over the years, he suffered increasing infirmities from the rigors of his work; in one of his poems, he documented the tremendous physical strain that he endured by painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Political strife in his beloved Florence also gnawed at him, but his most notable enmity was with fellow Florentine artist Leonardo da Vinci, who was more than 20 years his senior.

Poetry and Personal Life

Michelangelo's poetic impulse, which had been expressed in his sculptures, paintings and architecture, began taking literary form in his later years.

Although he never married, Michelangelo was devoted to a pious and noble widow named Vittoria Colonna, the subject and recipient of many of his more than 300 poems and sonnets. Their friendship remained a great solace to Michelangelo until Colonna's death in 1547.

Sculptures

'Pieta'

Soon after Michelangelo's move to Rome in 1498, the cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas, a representative of the French King Charles VIII to the pope, commissioned "Pieta," a sculpture of Mary holding the dead Jesus across her lap.

Michelangelo, who was just 25 years old at the time, finished his work in less than one year, and the statue was erected in the church of the cardinal's tomb. At 6 feet wide and nearly as tall, the statue has been moved five times since, to its present place of prominence at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Carved from a single piece of Carrara marble, the fluidity of the fabric, positions of the subjects, and "movement" of the skin of the Piet - meaning "pity" or "compassion" - created awe for its early viewers, as it does even today.

It is the only work to bear Michelangelo's name: Legend has it that he overheard pilgrims attribute the work to another sculptor, so he boldly carved his signature in the sash across Mary's chest. Today, the "Pieta"remains a universally revered work.

'David'

Between 1501 and 1504, Michelangelo took over a commission for a statue of "David," which two prior sculptors had previously attempted and abandoned, and turned the 17-foot piece of marble into a dominating figure.

The strength of the statue's sinews, vulnerability of its nakedness, humanity of expression and overall courage made the "David" a highly prized representative of the city of Florence.

Originally commissioned for the cathedral of Florence, the Florentine government instead installed the statue in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. It now lives in Florence's Accademia Gallery.

Paintings

Sistine Chapel

Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo to switch from sculpting to painting to decorate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which the artist revealed on October 31, 1512. The project fueled Michelangelo's imagination, and the original plan for 12 apostles morphed into more than 300 figures on the ceiling of the sacred space. (The work later had to be completely removed soon after due to an infectious fungus in the plaster, then recreated.)

Michelangelo fired all of his assistants, whom he deemed inept, and completed the 65-foot ceiling alone, spending endless hours on his back and guarding the project jealously until completion.

The resulting masterpiece is a transcendent example of High Renaissance art incorporating the symbology, prophecy and humanist principles of Christianity that Michelangelo had absorbed during his youth.

'Creation of Adam'

The vivid vignettes of Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling produce a kaleidoscope effect, with the most iconic image being the " Creation of Adam," a famous portrayal of God reaching down to touch the finger of man.

Rival Roman painter Raphael evidently altered his style after seeing the work.

'Last Judgment'

Michelangelo unveiled the soaring "Last Judgment" on the far wall of the Sistine Chapel in 1541. There was an immediate outcry that the nude figures were inappropriate for so holy a place, and a letter called for the destruction of the Renaissance's largest fresco.

The painter retaliated by inserting into the work new portrayals: his chief critic as a devil and himself as the flayed St. Bartholomew.

Architecture

Although Michelangelo continued to sculpt and paint throughout his life, following the physical rigor of painting the Sistine Chapel he turned his focus toward architecture.

He continued to work on the tomb of Julius II, which the pope had interrupted for his Sistine Chapel commission, for the next several decades. Michelangelo also designed the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library - located opposite the Basilica San Lorenzo in Florence - to house the Medici book collection. These buildings are considered a turning point in architectural history.

But Michelangelo's crowning glory in this field came when he was made chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica in 1546.

Was Michelangelo Gay?

In 1532, Michelangelo developed an attachment to a young nobleman, Tommaso dei Cavalieri, and wrote dozens of romantic sonnets dedicated to Cavalieri.

Despite this, scholars dispute whether this was a platonic or a homosexual relationship.

Death

Michelangelo died on February 18, 1564 - just weeks before his 89th birthday - at his home in Macel de'Corvi, Rome, following a brief illness.

A nephew bore his body back to Florence, where he was revered by the public as the "father and master of all the arts." He was laid to rest at the Basilica di Santa Croce - his chosen place of burial.

Legacy

Unlike many artists, Michelangelo achieved fame and wealth during his lifetime. He also had the peculiar distinction of living to see the publication of two biographies about his life, written by Giorgio Vasari and Ascanio Condivi.

Appreciation of Michelangelo's artistic mastery has endured for centuries, and his name has become synonymous with the finest humanist tradition of the Renaissance.
Watch "Michelangelo: Artist and Man" on HISTORY Vault

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Michelangelo Buonarroti was a painter, sculptor, architect and poet widely considered one of the most brilliant artists of the Italian Renaissance. Michelangelo was an apprentice to a painter before studying in the sculpture gardens of the powerful Medici family. What followed was a remarkable career as an artist, famed in his own time for his artistic virtuosity.

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"Once Upon a Time in America"

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"The Mission"

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Ennio Morricone - The Mission Main Theme (Morricone Conducts Morricone)

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"Cinema Paradiso"

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Ennio Morricone - Cinema Paradiso (In Concerto - Venezia 10.11.07)

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"If kept silence stayed philosopher" in Latin

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April 15, 1452 ~ May 2, 1519

born in a farmhouse nestled amid the undulating hills of Tuscany outside the village of Anchiano

a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman

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Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?

Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman - the epitome of a true Renaissance man. Gifted with a curious mind and a brilliant intellect, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work. His drawings, paintings and other works have influenced countless artists and engineers over the centuries.

Early Life

Da Vinci was born in a farmhouse outside the village of Anchiano in Tuscany, Italy (about 18 miles west of Florence) on April 15, 1452.

Born out of wedlock to respected Florentine notary Ser Piero and a young peasant woman named Caterina, da Vinci was raised by his father and his stepmother.

At the age of five, he moved to his father's estate in nearby Vinci (the town from which his surname derives), where he lived with his uncle and grandparents.

Education

Young da Vinci received little formal education beyond basic reading, writing and mathematics instruction, but his artistic talents were evident from an early age.

Around the age of 14, da Vinci began a lengthy apprenticeship with the noted artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. He learned a wide breadth of technical skills including metalworking, leather arts, carpentry, drawing, painting and sculpting.

His earliest known dated work - a pen-and-ink drawing of a landscape in the Arno valley - was sketched in 1473.

Early Works

At the age of 20, da Vinci qualified for membership as a master artist in Florence's Guild of Saint Luke and established his own workshop. However, he continued to collaborate with del Verrocchio for an additional five years.

It is thought that del Verrocchio completed his "Baptism of Christ" around 1475 with the help of his student, who painted part of the background and the young angel holding the robe of Jesus.

According to Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, written around 1550 by artist Giorgio Vasari, del Verrocchio was so humbled by the superior talent of his pupil that he never picked up a paintbrush again. (Most scholars, however, dismiss Vasari's account as apocryphal.)

In 1478, after leaving del Verrocchio's studio, da Vinci received his first independent commission for an altarpiece to reside in a chapel inside Florence's Palazzo Vecchio.

Three years later the Augustinian monks of Florence's San Donato a Scopeto tasked him to paint "Adoration of the Magi." The young artist, however, would leave the city and abandon both commissions without ever completing them.

Was Leonardo da Vinci Gay?

Many historians believe that da Vinci was a homosexual: Florentine court records from 1476 show that da Vinci and four other young men were charged with sodomy, a crime punishable by exile or death.

After no witnesses showed up to testify against 24-year-old da Vinci, the charges were dropped, but his whereabouts went entirely undocumented for the following two years.

Several other famous Florentine artists were also known to have been homosexual, including Michelangelo, Donatello and Sandro Botticelli. Indeed, homosexuality was such a fact of artistic life in Renaissance Florence that the word "florenzer" became German slang for "gay."

Leonardo da Vinci: Paintings

Although da Vinci is known for his artistic abilities, fewer than two dozen paintings attributed to him exist. One reason is that his interests were so varied that he wasn't a prolific painter. Da Vinci's most famous works include the "Vitruvian Man," "The Last Supper" and the " Mona Lisa."

Vitruvian Man

Art and science intersected perfectly in da Vinci's sketch of "Vitruvian Man," drawn in 1490, which depicted a nude male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart inside both a square and a circle.

The now-famous sketch represents da Vinci's study of proportion and symmetry, as well as his desire to relate man to the natural world.

The Last Supper

Around 1495, Ludovico Sforza, then the Duke of Milan, commissioned da Vinci to paint "The Last Supper" on the back wall of the dining hall inside the monastery of Milan's Santa Maria delle Grazie.

The masterpiece, which took approximately three years to complete, captures the drama of the moment when Jesus informs the Twelve Apostles gathered for Passover dinner that one of them would soon betray him. The range of facial expressions and the body language of the figures around the table bring the masterful composition to life.

The decision by da Vinci to paint with tempera and oil on dried plaster instead of painting a fresco on fresh plaster led to the quick deterioration and flaking of "The Last Supper." Although an improper restoration caused further damage to the mural, it has now been stabilized using modern conservation techniques.

Mona Lisa

In 1503, da Vinci started working on what would become his most well-known painting - and arguably the most famous painting in the world -the "Mona Lisa." The privately commissioned work is characterized by the enigmatic smile of the woman in the half-portrait, which derives from da Vinci's sfumato technique.

Adding to the allure of the "Mona Lisa" is the mystery surrounding the identity of the subject. Princess Isabella of Naples, an unnamed courtesan and da Vinci's own mother have all been put forth as potential sitters for the masterpiece. It has even been speculated that the subject wasn't a female at all but da Vinci's longtime apprentice Salai dressed in women's clothing.

Based on accounts from an early biographer, however, the "Mona Lisa" is a picture of Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant. The painting's original Italian name - "La Gioconda" - supports the theory, but it's far from certain. Some art historians believe the merchant commissioned the portrait to celebrate the pending birth of the couple's next child, which means the subject could have been pregnant at the time of the painting.

If the Giocondo family did indeed commission the painting, they never received it. For da Vinci, the "Mona Lisa" was forever a work in progress, as it was his attempt at perfection, and he never parted with the painting. Today, the "Mona Lisa" hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, secured behind bulletproof glass and regarded as a priceless national treasure seen by millions of visitors each year.

Battle of Anghiari

In 1503, da Vinci also started work on the "Battle of Anghiari," a mural commissioned for the council hall in the Palazzo Vecchio that was to be twice as large as "The Last Supper."

He abandoned the "Battle of Anghiari" project after two years when the mural began to deteriorate before he had a chance to finish it.

Inventions

In 1482, Florentine ruler Lorenzo de' Medici commissioned da Vinci to create a silver lyre and bring it as a peace gesture to Ludovico Sforza. After doing so, da Vinci lobbied Ludovico for a job and sent the future Duke of Milan a letter that barely mentioned his considerable talents as an artist and instead touted his more marketable skills as a military engineer.

Using his inventive mind, da Vinci sketched war machines such as a war chariot with scythe blades mounted on the sides, an armored tank propelled by two men cranking a shaft and even an enormous crossbow that required a small army of men to operate.

The letter worked, and Ludovico brought da Vinci to Milan for a tenure that would last 17 years. During his time in Milan, da Vinci was commissioned to work on numerous artistic projects as well, including "The Last Supper."

Da Vinci's ability to be employed by the Sforza clan as an architecture and military engineering advisor as well as a painter and sculptor spoke to da Vinci's keen intellect and curiosity about a wide variety of subjects.

Flying Machine

Always a man ahead of his time, da Vinci appeared to prophesy the future with his sketches of devices that resemble a modern-day bicycle and a type of helicopter.

Perhaps his most well-known invention is a flying machine, which is based on the physiology of a bat. These and other explorations into the mechanics of flight are found in da Vinci's Codex on the Flight of Birds, a study of avian aeronautics, which he began in 1505.

Like many leaders of Renaissance humanism, da Vinci did not see a divide between science and art. He viewed the two as intertwined disciplines rather than separate ones. He believed studying science made him a better artist.

In 1502 and 1503, da Vinci also briefly worked in Florence as a military engineer for Cesare Borgia, the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI and commander of the papal army. He traveled outside of Florence to survey military construction projects and sketch city plans and topographical maps.

He designed plans, possibly with noted diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli, to divert the Arno River away from rival Pisa in order to deny its wartime enemy access to the sea.

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Da Vinci's Study of Anatomy and Science

Da Vinci thought sight was humankind's most important sense and eyes the most important organ, and he stressed the importance of saper vedere, or "knowing how to see." He believed in the accumulation of direct knowledge and facts through observation.

"A good painter has two chief objects to paint - man and the intention of his soul," da Vinci wrote. "The former is easy, the latter hard, for it must be expressed by gestures and the movement of the limbs."

To more accurately depict those gestures and movements, da Vinci began to study anatomy seriously and dissect human and animal bodies during the 1480s. His drawings of a fetus in utero, the heart and vascular system, sex organs and other bone and muscular structures are some of the first on human record.

In addition to his anatomical investigations, da Vinci studied botany, geology, zoology, hydraulics, aeronautics and physics. He sketched his observations on loose sheets of papers and pads that he tucked inside his belt.

Da Vinci placed the papers in notebooks and arranged them around four broad themes-painting, architecture, mechanics and human anatomy. He filled dozens of notebooks with finely drawn illustrations and scientific observations.

Sculptures

Ludovico Sforza also tasked da Vinci with sculpting a 16-foot-tall bronze equestrian statue of his father and founder of the family dynasty, Francesco Sforza. With the help of apprentices and students in his workshop, da Vinci worked on the project on and off for more than a dozen years.

Da Vinci sculpted a life-size clay model of the statue, but the project was put on hold when war with France required bronze to be used for casting cannons, not sculptures. After French forces overran Milan in 1499 - and shot the clay model to pieces - da Vinci fled the city along with the duke and the Sforza family.

Ironically, Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, who led the French forces that conquered Ludovico in 1499, followed in his foe's footsteps and commissioned da Vinci to sculpt a grand equestrian statue, one that could be mounted on his tomb. After years of work and numerous sketches by da Vinci, Trivulzio decided to scale back the size of the statue, which was ultimately never finished.

Final Years

Da Vinci returned to Milan in 1506 to work for the very French rulers who had overtaken the city seven years earlier and forced him to flee.

Among the students who joined his studio was young Milanese aristocrat Francesco Melzi, who would become da Vinci's closest companion for the rest of his life. He did little painting during his second stint in Milan, however, and most of his time was instead dedicated to scientific studies.

Amid political strife and the temporary expulsion of the French from Milan, da Vinci left the city and moved to Rome in 1513 along with Salai, Melzi and two studio assistants. Giuliano de' Medici, brother of newly installed Pope Leo X and son of his former patron, gave da Vinci a monthly stipend along with a suite of rooms at his residence inside the Vatican.

His new patron, however, also gave da Vinci little work. Lacking large commissions, he devoted most of his time in Rome to mathematical studies and scientific exploration.

After being present at a 1515 meeting between France's King Francis I and Pope Leo X in Bologna, the new French monarch offered da Vinci the title "Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect to the King."

Along with Melzi, da Vinci departed for France, never to return. He lived in the Chateau de Cloux (now Clos Luce) near the king's summer palace along the Loire River in Amboise. As in Rome, da Vinci did little painting during his time in France. One of his last commissioned works was a mechanical lion that could walk and open its chest to reveal a bouquet of lilies.

How Did Leonardo da Vinci Die?

Da Vinci died of a probable stroke on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67. He continued work on his scientific studies until his death; his assistant, Melzi, became the principal heir and executor of his estate. The "Mona Lisa" was bequeathed to Salai.

For centuries after his death, thousands of pages from his private journals with notes, drawings, observations and scientific theories have surfaced and provided a fuller measure of the true "Renaissance man."

Book and Movie

Although much has been written about da Vinci over the years, Walter Isaacson explored new territory with an acclaimed 2017 biography, Leonardo da Vinci, which offers up details on what drove the artist's creations and inventions.

The buzz surrounding the book carried into 2018, with the announcement that it had been optioned for a big-screen adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Salvator Mundi

In 2017, the art world was sent buzzing with the news that the da Vinci painting "Salvator Mundi" had been sold at a Christie's auction to an undisclosed buyer for a whopping $450.3 million. That amount dwarfed the previous record for an art work sold at an auction, the $179.4 million paid for "Women of Algiers" by Pablo Picasso in 2015.

The sales figure was stunning in part because of the damaged condition of the oil-on-panel, which features Jesus Christ with his right hand raised in blessing and his left holding a crystal orb, and because not all experts believe it was rendered by da Vinci.

However, Christie's had launched what one dealer called a "brilliant marketing campaign," which promoted the work as "the holy grail of our business" and "the last da Vinci." Prior to the sale, it was the only known painting by the old master still in a private collection.

The Saudi Embassy stated that Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud of Saudi Arabia had acted as an agent for the ministry of culture of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Around that time, the newly-opened Louvre Abu Dhabi announced that the record-breaking artwork would be exhibited in its collection.

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Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman - the epitome of a true Renaissance man. Gifted with a curious mind and a brilliant intellect, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work.

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Association which disciplines, co-ordinates and promotes the development of Italian Fashion. The reference for valuing and promoting Italian style, Fashion and customs.

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Valentino

What to say about Valentino Garavani? A one-man fashion powerhouse, the designer studied fashion from an early age, eventually pursuing formal education in Paris. In 1960, he returned to Rome to open his own fashion house, and channelled the grandiose, opulent nature of the Parisian fashion houses into his own distinctly Italian brand.

Valentino made his name with the distinct shade of red he used for most of his dresses, to the point that it became known as "Valentino Red." In the fifty years that followed, Valentino truly built an empire, establishing the Valentino brand as a red carpet staple with countless celebrity fans.

If Italian brands have a reputation for being ostentatious, it's thanks to Valentino Garavani.

Dolce & Gabbana

Though it's true that there's a thread of glamour running through almost all Italian brands, Dolce & Gabbana is one label that really carries a particular level of flair.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana founded the iconic label in 1985, and through every element of their brand - from runway shows to adverting campaigns to celebrity endorsements - the duo has created a universe of total opulence. Vogue magazine has cited the designers' love of Italian cinema and classic 20th century glamour as key influences, whilst others have described their style as a truly home-grown, Mediterranean flair - something that encapsulates the myths, fantasies and realities of Italian luxury.

Put simply, Dolce & Gabbana make women look sexy; they make men look masculine; they make celebrities look like celebrities and they make style look... well, stylish. Top that off with vague, unsubstantiated whispers on the internet about connections to the mafia, and you can practically hear the cool oozing out of D&G.

Versace

If Valentino is ostentatious and Dolce & Gabbana is glamorous, then the house of Versace can only be described - in the best way possible - as brash and audacious.

Founded in 1978 by Gianni Versace, the Italian brand encapsulates everything we have come to imagine about luxury. This is a brand that looks expensive, feels expensive, and is - you guessed it! - expensive. Now approaching its fortieth year, Versace is known for its bright colors, bold patterns and vibrant graphic designs. Even the use of Medusa in the brand's logo draws back to the Greek mythological character and her ability to completely consume whoever looked at her.

Since Gianni Versace's murder in 1997, Donatella Versace took over as the label's Creative Director, and has come to embody everything about the brand with her own larger-than-life style. The brand has continued to thrive in recent years, and, thanks to its ethos of wealth and hedonism, has become one of the most mentioned brands in rap lyrics, Migos or otherwise.

It's also worth noting that Versace is one of very few global fashion brands that remains majority-owned by the original family. Fashion has always been full of drama, but the House of Versace truly is a dynasty.

Moschino

Before we go any further, let's get one thing straight: it's pronounced "mos-KEY-no." Founded in 1983 by Franco Moschino, the Italian brand has been one of the biggest influences on contemporary fashion as we know it.

Deviating from the typically insular and hierarchical notion of high fashion that so many of us have in our heads, Moschino embraced popular culture and everyday iconography in a way that nobody had thought to do before. Pop art, cultural ephemera, corporate branding, comic books and cuddly toys were all rich sources of inspiration for the Moschino brand.

The brand was notably shouted out alongside a number of other brands by Notorious B.I.G. in "Hypnotize," and in the late 1990s, their all-over print jeans, flashy graphics and big logos became mainstays of the UK club scene (alongside the equally glamorous Gucci and Versace); cementing a strange connection between high-fashion Italian brands and street-level culture that has granted Moschino an enduring essence of authenticity.

In 2013, equally-quirky designer Jeremy Scott took over as the brand's creative director, bringing his own next-level take on contemporary culture to a revered Italian fashion house. Love him or hate him, it's pretty much a match made in heaven.

Gucci

Founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, the eponymous label is one of the oldest Italian brands in contemporary history.

Gucci founded his luggage label after being inspired by the luxury lifestyles of people he met whilst working in the Paris and London hotel trades. Combining this aesthetic with the skilled local craftsmanship of Tuscany, the company quickly became popular with Italian gentry and international shoppers who would visit his bottega.

Gucci also proved popular with the equestrian community, which inspired the label's distinctive metal "horse bit" logo. In the decades that followed, the brand's blend of quintessential luxury and Italian flare made it a mainstay of Hollywood fashion amongst celebrities and movie stars. In 1994, Tom Ford took over as Creative Director, injecting his own fearless approach to style into the brand.

In recent years, with Alessandro Michele at the brand's creative helm, Gucci has reinvigorated its identity even further, embracing its popularity amongst younger consumers and celebrating an eccentricity rarely seen from a high-fashion institution. With its iconic green and red stripe, G monogram and whimsical air, there's just something about Gucci that gives everything a touch more class.

Fendi

Another historic Italian brand, the origin of Fendi can be traced back to 1925. Husband and wife Adele & Edoardo Fendi founded the label as a fur and leather goods shop in Rome. Though you might be most familiar with Fendi's distinctive double-F monogram, they are revered as one of the global authorities on fur and are renowned for pioneering work in the field of fur fashion.

In the 1940s, the next generation of the Fendi family - five sisters Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda - took over operations and began injecting a new and youthful perspective to the label. In the 1960s, Karl Lagerfeld joined the label and pushed reinvention and experimentation, redefining furs that had fallen out of favor with the brand's wealthy clientele and bringing a contemporary perspective to the historic brand.

By the 1990s, a growing network of family members began to put strain on the label, and the brand was sold to LVMH. Nonetheless, the brand still carries its classic identity of Italian style, empowered by decades of knowledge put into practice.

Giorgio Armani

Surely a label that needs no introduction, the Giorgio Armani name is one that immediately conjures imagery of razor-sharp black suits, slick leather goods and the tasteful extravagance that only Italian brands can create.

Armani started his fashion empire in 1975, rooting his design vision in everyday people and the style of the streets. Such an approach has proved popular with fashion fans of all demographics, and now the brand has an extensive roster of diffusion labels including Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, EA7 and Armani Jeans.

Like Versace, the Armani empire remains privately owned, which is actually quite poetic - if Versace is an exercise in Italian glamour, then Armani is an exercise in Italian class: toned-down, softly-spoken and effortlessly cool, but still making all the necessary statements.

Prada

Another historic Italian brand, Prada, like many others, has its roots in luxury leather luggage goods. Founded in 1913 by Mario Prada, the house quickly experienced meteoric success, and in 1919 was confirmed as an official supplier to the Italian royal household. This was signified by the iconic knotted rope that frames the label's logo.

Prada entered a new phase throughout the 1970s when Mario Prada's granddaughter Miuccia inherited the label, injecting a new energy and modern perspective into the brand (as is often the case with historic houses). Over the next four decades, Prada cemented its brand as a symbol of timeless, effortless chic, embodied by understated branding and minimalist designs.

One of the label's signature motifs is its use of Saffiano leather, a textured leather printed with a cross-hatch pattern that is both hard-wearing and visually appealing. As for clothing designs, Prada has shown an eccentric flair in recent years, creating collections that ooze with color, patterns and flashy designs. However, this eccentricity is always tempered by a certain class that keeps everything in order.

Besides, if you're looking for something really crazy, you're better off checking out Prada's daughter label...

Miu Miu

Founded in 1993 by Miuccia Prada as an offshoot of the historic Prada brand, Miu Miu (pronounced "mew-mew") takes its name from Miuccia's family nickname, and is undoubtedly the youthful, exuberant Yin to Prada's timeless, storied Yang.

Best known for its ready-to-wear and handbag collections, Miu Miu is never short of color and energy, and has an eccentric disregard for the rules more often seen in Japanese fashion. The Italian brand disregards minimal branding and softly-spoken lines; embracing chains, sequins, fur, gold, splashes of color and, indeed, anything guaranteed to turn heads instead.

That Miuccia Prada can move effortlessly between two polarized styles (Prada and Miu Miu) is nothing short of incredible, and she is no small part of what makes both of these Italian brands so iconic.

Marni

Scarcely over twenty years old, Marni might be the youngest Italian brand on this list - but the label, founded in 1994 by Consuelo Castiglioni, is a worthy mention, given its comparatively rapid rise to success.

The brand started out using the family's fur business as an avenue to experiment with fur and textiles, but now creates full collections, including ready-to-wear, luggage, jewelry and accessories. Most noteworthy are the brand's footwear designs, which blend timeless shoe styles with a unique flair.

Few high-fashion labels have created a sneaker as compelling as the aptly-named "Marni's Sneaker" (even if it does borrow pretty heavily from a certain adidas EQT silhouette). However, the absolute favourite has to be their kilted derby shoes, which, depending on how they're styled, can form part of any look - from classic to cute.

Marcelo Burlon

Marcelo Burlon is unquestionably one of the leading names in the new generation of Italian brands, with bold, geometric graphics and slimline contemporary cuts - as demonstrated in his collaborations with celebrities like Pusha T and Lebron James.

Though the Italian brand only produces T-shirts, sweats and accessories, Burlon has established a distinctive aesthetic that incorporates animals, camouflage and Patagonian symbols into striking graphic designs.

It could be argued that Burlon's success in a country known for its historic factories and age-old production techniques highlights fashion's evolution over the past two decades. It's a world no longer controlled by a few dozen families, opening up instead to anyone with a unique perspective and fresh ideas.

Palm Angels

Though the emerging Italian brand is still in its infancy, Palm Angels is quickly turning heads. Originally a photography project for Francesco Ragazzi (better known as the art director at Moncler), the label takes inspiration from the skateboarders of Venice and Manhattan beaches in L.A., after whom the project is named.

Though earlier collections left a lot to be desired, the brand has quickly developed and successfully channelled stylistic elements similar to those of its contemporaries, including extended cuts, camouflage patterns and a fearless blend of streetwear, high-fashion and contemporary style.

Part grunge, part catwalk and part Dogtown, the label has laid itself out as one to watch for 2017.

Sunnei

Launched in 2013 by Loris Messina and Simon Rizzo, Sunnei is a young Italian brand in all senses. The designs are modern, the cuts are contemporary, and you can see the influence of streetwear and street culture throughout the brand's collections.

Messina and Rizzo have made no secret of their desire to shake up an Italian fashion landscape dominated by historic houses and cultural dogma, and their oversized fits and tracksuits do exactly that in a country dominated by silks, furs and luxury fabrics.

Indeed, their aesthetic is not dissimilar to those of Gosha Rubchinskiy or A-COLD-WALL*, but there's also a mix of art and culture in every piece that would look at home in the collection of a Scandinavian brand like Soulland or Wood Wood. This isn't Italian opulence or rustic charm - it's laid-back cool done very well.

Moncler

I know what you're thinking: Moncler is French, right? This is true: the brand's name is an abbreviation of the Grenoble village Monestier-de-Clermont, and it's difficult to think of Moncler without imagining well-heeled French families skiing in the alps.

However, Moncler was bought out in 2003 by Remo Ruffini, and it was Ruffini who really pushed Moncler from being a high-end outdoors brand to an iconic symbol of the great outdoors.

As such, you can't really talk about revered French master of the quilted jacket, Moncler, without also talking about the distinctly Italian flare that brought Moncler to collaborations with Thom Browne, Off-White, Pharrell Williams and FriendsWithYou.

FILA

Though the brand was acquired in full by its South-Korean subsidiary in 2007, FILA is one of the oldest (and largest) Italian sportswear brands, with a rich history to go with it.

For the first few decades of operation, the brand made mountaineering equipment. However, in the 1970s it ventured into the world of tennis and quickly found comfort in what would come to be known as the sportswear industry. Though the brand might have fallen out of favor with the streetwear crowd, FILA's name in the late '80s and early '90s was synonymous with wealth.

Capitalizing on its Italian roots and a then-untapped well of potential in creating "luxury sportswear," FILA was arguably one of the first companies to bring high-fashion prices to street-level fashion, and this formula made it a popular choice amongst rappers, dealers and all of the other usual suspects.

Its subsequent journey from the upper echelons to being an affordable alternative is a fascinating one, and Gary Warnett's article on the subject is a must-read for any streetwear historians.

Sergio Tacchini

Another classic Italian brand that fell by the wayside, Sergio Tacchini has credible, authentic roots. Started in the late '60s by the professional tennis player of the same name, the label was an endeavor to shake up the boring, all-white dress code of tennis with exciting colors and new materials. As the brand's distinctively "high-fashion" logo suggests, the brand succeeded in bringing class and luxury to sportswear.

During the heyday of European football's casual culture in the 1980s, the Italian brand was coveted amongst football fans. As the story goes, football fans who travelled to Europe to support their teams were deemed a cut above the home supporters. When they travelled to Italian cities for a match, they'd shoplift their favourite Italian sportswear from shop-owners who were completely unprepared for a gang of thirty football hooligans fired up for the game.

They say any publicity is good publicity, and if people are risking arrest in a foreign country just to own your clothes, you must be doing something right. In 2007, the brand declared bankruptcy and was sold to a Hong Kong businessman. Perhaps the brand's recent collaboration with Gosha Rubchinskiy will open it up to a new generation of consumers, though, and reinvigorate the classic, casual style that made Sergio Tacchini a symbol of Italian sportswear.

Diesel

Founded in 1976 by Renzo Rosso and Adriano Goldschmied, Diesel is a premium Italian brand that specializes in Italian-made denim. Though it's arguably one of the most familiar names in fashion, the true identity of Diesel is a bit of a mystery, and this is no accident.

Over its forty-year history, the brand has built a reputation through its esoteric and absurd advert campaigns that speak about philosophy and conceptual thinking more than the actual clothing. At its essence, Diesel makes menswear and womenswear with subtle stylistic twists. Classic wardrobe essentials are reinvented with an eccentric perspective, and there's heavy emphasis on individuality and self-expression.

The result is an Italian brand that channels the famous Groucho Marx quote: "I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member." Pure anti-everything.

Stone Island / C.P. Company

When many of us think of Italian brands, we imagine luxurious silks, wools, leathers and furs - the quintessential Italian opulence. It's precisely this association that makes Massimo Osti's two clothing labels such fascinating anomalies.

Surely one of the most under-celebrated figures in contemporary menswear design, Osti's creative process is truly unparalleled, and his approach to fabric has been described as less tailoring than "creating a recipe". Unique textile blends, pioneering experimentations in production and truly left-field thinking has seen Stone Island and C.P. Company produce some of the most fascinating clothing ever seen, including jackets that change color according to the temperature, "self-healing" fabrics and cotton fabric bonded to stainless steel.

C.P. Company was launched in 1978 and was quickly followed by Stone Island in 1982. Both pushed the envelope in terms of form, fashion and functionality like no other brand before. Again, the era's football casuals were fond of Stone Island's stunning, immaculately-designed, hyper-technical gear that kept them warm during long stands on the terraces and dry on the walk back to the train station.

Though recent years have seen the latter brand expand into the U.S. and claim its hard-earned streetwear kudos through collaborations with Supreme and Nike, Stone Island and C.P. Company's significance in terms of ground-breaking fashion design cannot be overstated.

ellesse

With its bright, sunny logo and effortless laid-back aesthetic, one look at ellesse leads you to only one conclusion: tennis brand, right? Strangely, however, this is only half the story.

Leonardo Servadio (L.S.... ellesse... get it?) originally founded his brand in 1959 as a skiwear company and endeavored to bridge the gap between sportswear and style. The logo symbolizes both a tennis ball and a pair of ski-tips and, throughout the brand's history, has encapsulated the fantasy of sport as leisure, weather on the tennis court or the ski slopes.

In later decades, ellesse branched out into football, running, athletics and other sports, but its deep connection to tennis has always endured. Recent collaborations with the likes of Wood-Wood and elka have revived the brand with a healthy dose of Scandinavian design, but it remains somewhat at the edges of the casual fashion world these days, which is a great shame.

Loro Piana

It's one thing to master a particular style or aesthetic; it's another thing entirely to master a textile itself. Like Scotland's Harrison Tweed, John Smedley's Sea Island cotton or Horween's tanned leathers, Loro Piana is the absolute authority on the very finest wools, most famously merino wool and cashmere.

The brand produces an extensive range of its own designs, and they're just as you'd expect: classic, unfettered and timeless clothing. However, the Italian textile house also supplies its fabrics to many other brands. In the streetwear world, Supreme has made regular use of Loro Piana wool in its more premium releases, whilst Noah has used the brand's luxurious, humanely-collected baby camel wool to produce the ultimate baller garm: a $600 Loro Piana hooded sweatshirt.

The Loro Piana logo is a seal of quality in itself - there simply isn't such thing as a poor quality Loro Piana garment.

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Italysky Prada, Gucci, Michael Kors, Coach Italy Branded Bags

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What to say about Valentino Garavani? A one-man fashion powerhouse, the designer studied fashion from an early age, eventually pursuing formal education in Paris. In 1960, he returned to Rome to open his own fashion house, and channelled the grandiose, opulent nature of the Parisian fashion houses into his own distinctly Italian brand.

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With the recent sale of Versace to the American Michael Kors, many of you have wondered which of the large Italian fashion brands are actually still Italian owned? Most will know that the two main French luxury groups Kering and LVMH own some of the biggest fashion brands worldwide, but of the brands founded in Italy, that are still run by Italians, and often still even by the same founding family, are not as rare as one might think.

We've put together an overview of the main brands to give you an insight into who owns them, and if sold, when and for what amount the deals went for if known.

International

Year founded: 1978

Founder: Gianni Versace

Year of Sale: 2018

Acquired by: Michael Kors - United States

Amount: 2.1 Billion USD

Year founded: 1921

Founder: Guccio Gucci

Year of Sale: 1999

Acquired by: Kering - France

Amount: 3 Billion USD

Year founded: 1925

Founder: Adele Casagrande with husband Edoardo Fendi

Year of Sale: 1999

Acquired by: LVMH France

Amount: 850 million USD

Year founded: 1911

Founder: Johan Fila

Year of Sale: 2007

Acquired by: Fila Korea Ltd. Korea

Amount: undisclosed

Year founded: 1957

Founder: Valentino Garavani

Year of Sale: 1998

Acquired by: Mayhoola - Qatar

Amount 700 million EURO

Founder: Renzo Zengiaro and Michele Taddei

Year of Sale: 2001

Acquired by: Kering - France

Amount: 156 million USD

Year founded: 1884

Founder: Sotirio Bulgari

Year of sale: 2012

Acquired by: LVMH - France

Amount: 4.3 Billion Euros

Besides those listed above, La Perla, Brioni, Fiorucci, Krizia, Miss Sixty, Pucci, and YOOX are all now owned by international companies. So what about those that are still Italian run?

Italian

Year founded: 1913

Founder: Mario Prada

Run by: Miuccia Prada and her husband Patrizio Bertelli

HQ: Milan

Year founded: 1975

Founder: Giorgio Armani & Sergio Galeotti

Run by: Giorgio Armani

HQ: Milan

Year founded: 1985

Founder: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana

Run by: Alfonso Dolce, CEO

HQ: Milan

Year founded: 1982

Founder: Massimo Osti

Run by: Carlo Rivetti

HQ: Originally from Ravarino, with headquarters in Milan

Year founded: 1983

Founder: Franco Moschino

Run by: Angela Missoni

HQ: Milan

Year founded: 1952

Founder: Achille Maramotti

Run by: Luigi Maramotti

HQ: Reggio Emilia, Italy

Also the brands Salvatore Ferragamo, Etro, and Missoni, are all still Italian run.

Ermenegildo Zegna is a brand that has done the opposite move by acquiring the American brand Thom Browne earlier this year.

Another brand that has switched shores, so to speak, is Moncler, the originally French outdoor brand founded in 1955 was bought in 2003 by the Italian entrepreneur Remo Ruffini, and the brand is today by all accounts considered to be Italian.

There you have it, so what do we take away from all this, well it is interesting when you look a bit more closely at the brands themselves. When looking deeper, most of the brands that are now under conglomerate umbrellas have a good reason for being there. Brands like Gucci and Fendi, have a width that is really benefited by the backend systems these big groups offer. Huge, worldwide distribution and sales almost require it, where brands like Prada and Stone Island, though by no means small, can be described as running a more boutique-like approach, where smaller collections, with a greater focus on technical developments, are better handled in a more in-house environment. As the world gets ever smaller, in terms of more and more people and newer territories wanting to be able to acquire luxury goods, the demand, while still retaining the high quality, can often only be met with the backing of large fashion groups, and is simply an inevitability of the global luxury goods market expansion.

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Which of the Italian fashion brands are still 'Made in Italy'?

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With the recent sale of Versace to the American Michael Kors, many of you have wondered which of the large Italian fashion brands are actually still Italian owned?

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Models were seen cradling replicas of their own heads on the Gucci catwalk, in one of Milan Fashion Week's most surreal shows.

The fake heads were eerily accurate, down to the hairstyles and the expressions of those walking in the show.

And the strangeness didn't end there - Gucci's creative director also sent models down the catwalk cradling baby dragons and snakes, and another had a third eye in the centre of her forehead.

All of this was done in a space made up to look like an operating theatre, complete with a table and surgical lights.

Creative director Alessandro Michele said the heads were intended to represent the struggle of finding your identity, and "looking after your head and thoughts".

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour was among those on the front row - wearing her trademark sunglasses.

Michele said the show had been "exhausting" to stage.

He had wanted to show that among the chaos and creativity of his job, there was also order and a "scientific clarity" to the work.

Michele has been director of the fashion house since January 2015.

He added: "Our job is a surgical job: cutting and assembling and experimenting on the operating table."

The collection took inspiration from many different ethnicities and cultures, with Sikh turbans, south American patterns and embellished headpieces all on the catwalk.

A style note said the designs were to embody Gucci's "pluriverse" concept - and drew inspiration from an essay rejecting the idea of rigid boundaries.

Michele said: "Limiting fashion to something that only produces business is too easy."

Milan Fashion Week runs until 26 February.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk .

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Models carry their heads on Gucci catwalk

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Models were seen cradling replicas of their own heads on the Gucci catwalk, in one of Milan Fashion Week's most surreal shows. The fake heads were eerily accurate, down to the hairstyles and the expressions of those walking in the show.

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Luciano Pavarotti   Nessun Dorma High Quality Audio

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Born on October 12, 1935

made an international debut at the Royal Opera House in London in 1963

At around the age of 9, he began singing with his father in a small local church choir.

In 1982, appeared in the film Yes, Giorgio

performed "Nessun Dorma" at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, in February 2006.

Pavarotti died in Modena on September 6, 2007, at the age of 71

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Biography.com examines the life and career of tenor Luciano Pavarotti, member of the Three Tenors and world-famous opera star.

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The Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) is one of the oldest festivals held in Venice, Italy. The festival is world famous for its amazing and unique masks that people wear during this event.

The Venice Carnival History

However, under the rule of the King of Austria, the Venice Carnival was outlawed completely and the use of masks became strictly forbidden during that time.

Venetian Carnival Masks

The Venetian Carnival is most famous for its distinctive masks and costumes. It is common for people to attend the Carnival wearing elaborate costumes and masks.

There are several different styles of masks that are worn during the Venice Carnival. Usually, people with different occupations and jobs wear a different type of Carnival masks during the festival.

Venetian masks can be made of leather, porcelain or using the original glass technique. Today, most Italian masks are made with gold leafs and are hand-painted using natural feathers and gems for decoration.

Carnival of Venice Other Events

There are many events on which you can attend during the Venice Festival each year. View more information about these events on an official website of the Venetian Carnival.

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The Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) is one of the oldest festivals held in Venice, Italy. The festival is world famous for its amazing and unique masks that people wear during this event. However, under the rule of the King of Austria, the Venice Carnival was outlawed completely and the use of masks became strictly forbidden during that time.

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Last weekend saw the town of Ivrea in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy holding its annual orange battle as part of the Ivrea Carnival 2017.

Dating back to 1808, the carnival is one of the oldest festivals in all of Italy, and features a range of traditional re-enactments, parades and activities. One such example is the Battle of the Oranges, a much loved event that sees the people of the town re-imagining the war that broke out between the people of Ivrea and Royal Napoleonic troops the day a tyrannical family was overthrown in the 12-Century. The battle is made up of squads of aranceri, or orange throwers on foot and those in carts representing the Napoleonic troops.

First day of Carneval in Ivrea just came to an end. #historical #hysterical #lotsofsmasheduporanges #vivalamugnaia #ivrea #carnevale2017 pic.twitter.com/14D9wbWcAr

- Malin (@malinwm) February 26, 2017

People participating in the event wear protective helmets and padding from the oranges, while sweets and presents are distributed to spectators. This is followed by a traditional procession through the streets, including floats, musicians and folk groups from all over Italy. Thousands of people attend the three day carnival, which began last Sunday and ends on Shrove Tuesday. Onlookers wear bright red hats to distinguish them from those taking part in the orange fight. A similar event is held each year in Bunol, Spain that sees people pelting each other with tomatoes.
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The Italian town of Ivrea holds its annual orange battle

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Skip to Content Last weekend saw the town of Ivrea in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy holding its annual orange battle as part of the Ivrea Carnival 2017. Dating back to 1808, the carnival is one of the oldest festivals in all of Italy, and features a range of traditional re-enactments, parades and activities.

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It is common for people to attend the Carnival wearing elaborate costumes and masks. One of the most important events at the carnival is the contest of who has the most beautiful mask.
There was a time when the carnival was banned. During the rule of the king of Austria, Venice Carnival was outlawed and masks were strictly forbidden.

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The battle between the squad of aranceri, or orange throwers and the people on the cart, who represents Napoleonic troops.
People participating wear protective gear to protect themselves against the oranges. Visitors wear red hats to distinguish them from those who are participating.

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Ennio Morricone is not a slight man. He is a slim man. A man of average height. But he is not slight.

It would be fair enough, perhaps, to say that he is unconcerned with being prepossessing. Perhaps less plagued with status anxiety than most. Certainly he is not a big head... not a man full of braggadocio. He probably has more right than most musicians and composers alive to be at least content with his position in the greater scheme of things. When you watch him conduct a full orchestra and choir - whether playing one of his neo-classical cantatas or one of his numerous film scores - he accepts the tumultuous, deafening, standing ovations that are thrust upon him with good grace mixed with a humorous grumpiness. After three or four encores in a venue with literally thousands of people stood on tip toe shouting "More Maestro! More!" He furrows his brow, points at his watch, then himself before striding off waving, not to return. It is as if he's saying: 'Come on. I am 81 you know...'

He is sprightly and energetic on stage and appears to be somewhere in the region of 20 or 30 years younger than he actually is. But despite his size and the way he carries himself, he casts a shadow that is long and wide across the music of the second half of the 20th Century and beyond. It is not surprising that when you watch him conduct, as a viewer you are overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. You are surrounded by adults weeping. The sober and normally staid shouting for more. What have we lost along the way with the way we enjoy music now? Have we lost something important? Something essential perhaps? There are certainly currently few things to compare with the visceral impact. Important season end finals conducted by Premiership football clubs. Certain concerts perhaps by Slayer, The Pixies or Leonard Cohen at a push.

The last time I had the privilege of watching the Maestro at work, I saw in front of me a handy metaphor for the reach of this jazz musician, OST writer, library music author, neo-classical powerhouse, pop hit maker, devotional composer... As soon as he gestured that there would be no more and the ten or fifteen minutes of wild applause died down a few rows in front of me feted graphic novel author Alan Moore and Brit rock singer from Kasabian Tom Meighan immediately turned to one another with mouths agape to discuss exactly how amazing the show had just been, like ten year olds after watching Empire Strikes Back for the first time.

Ennio Morricone was born in Rome in 1928 and never left. He wears it as a badge of pride that he never moved to America (specifically Hollywood) and never learned to speak English. Two things that probably helped his career and reputation in the long run. But given that he has always worked in a wide field of composition genres, from absolute music, which he has always produced, to applied music, working as orchestrator as well as conductor in the recording field, and then as a composer for theatre, radio and cinema, you get the impression, he's never really cared that much about his standing in the eyes of Hollywood.

Since starting his career as film music composer in 1961 with the film Il Federale directed by Luciano Salce he has worked on over 500 scores. He is undoubtedly most famous worldwide for his astounding work on Sergio Leone's Italian westerns: A Fistful Of Dollars (1964), For A Few Dollars More (1965), The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966), Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) and A Fistful Of Dynamite (1971). But this is only a mere fraction of the story. His film scores have been used by directors as diverse and feted as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Brian De Palma (with whom he has a very close artistic bond), Dario Argento, Pedro Almodovar and Roland Joffè. And that is before discussing the 100 or more concert or absolute works he has written and not to mention the dizzying array of easy listening, jazz, lounge and avant pop he has produced. (Some great examples of which can be found on the Mike Patton compiled Crimes And Dissonance anthology on Ipecac.)

He has little in common with the popular image of him as a cantankerous interviewee. In fact one gets the impression that he's pretty much a riot when not constantly being asked about The Good, The Bad And The Ugly or Clint Eastwood. He shouts, laughs and sings his way through the interview while his trusted interpreter Roberta has to regularly chide him for saying more than she can possibly hope to remember without breaking off for a pause.
Hello Maestro! How are you?
Ennio Morricone: Good evening! I am well.
As a rock journalist primarily, I've been aware for a long time that your influence is evident across the 40 year history of heavy rock and metal, from Black Sabbath and Babe Ruth in the 1970s through Mike Patton of Faith No More and Metallica and beyond. I was wondering if you had any appreciation of this genre and if you see a link between it and what you do yourself?
EM: There is not really much of a link other than for one thing: the simplicity of the form. That is, usually we would both use a three tone chord, say C major for example. That is what I use and that is what they use, so perhaps that is the link you were talking about.
Going back as far as 1968, you composed 38 original soundtracks in one year! But even now in 2010, you show little or no sign of slowing down. To what do you owe your fearsome work ethic?
EM: First of all, I've never composed 38 soundtracks in just one year! Let me explain, so you understand. It would be impossible to compose 38 soundtracks in just one year! I have never scored over 12 or 13 soundtracks in one year, but even this number as you understand is a big number already. Sometimes, you know, some of the films are not released in the year in which I am commissioned to write the scores. Sometimes the films are delayed so what happens is that, sometimes, they're all released at once. So, for example, a number of horror films come out at once and people believe that I have composed all the scores for that year in one go but that is not always the case. Due to the distribution system the release dates change all the time.
Be that as it may, even if the number of film scores is 12 or 13 a year, that is still a large amount of work to be produced alongside other classical or jazz works, and you are still very prolific to this day, so what do you owe this amount of work to?
EM: EH!? NO! NO! NO! It is not much to compose 12 or 13 cantatas in one year because if you think about it Bach, for example, used to compose one cantata a week. He had to compose the music in time for it to be performed in church on Sunday so if you just consider Bach, you will see that I'm practically unemployed!
Ha ha!
EM: And if you consider that Bach did not just compose the music for the Sunday church but he actually used to composed for loads of different reasons. As you know his body of work is huge and of course he used to work right from the morning through to the evening, which is what I do. This is the only comparison to be made between me and Bach, however, that we both work all day and evening long. But if it is your job to be a composer then the one thing you must do is compose! You have to work and maybe there are some times when you don't want to compose and you take a day off but that is it.
Is there a therapeutic element to what you do? If you had ever needed to take an enforced year or two off, would you have been lost without the work?
EM: You know what happens to me? When I finish off a project, whether that is a film soundtrack or a score for example, I always suspect that I am not going to be able to do it anymore. I always feel like I won't be able to do it anymore, even if I only stop for a very short time. I feel like my creative flame might disappear. This question makes me think of great singers like Pavarotti. A great opera singer, like Pavarotti, would tell me that when he woke up every morning the first thing he would do is become afraid that his voice had gone and that he couldn't sing any more. So the first thing that singers like him would do every morning, before even getting out of bed, is they would sing for their wives [imitates histrionic tenor] "Oooooh, Maria! Where are you!?" Just to check that his voice is still there!

In recent years, in Hollywood, you have also been linked with Quentin Tarantino - most recently on Inglorious Basterds. Now this happened in a slightly odd way, in that he took your music, which had already achieved fame through its association with other films, and added it to his own film. Did this seem strange to you?

EM: Actually, I was really happy with what he did and I thought it really worked well. The thing is that as what he did was take the different scores from different films and put them all together...what I think he did was just to put them in the right place and used them in the right way. But first, if you are talking about coherence, it was not really there in terms of ideas and conversation because those things are different and taken from different ideas and films. But I think it really worked well though.
A lot of the time your work is so specific that it actually works as a plot device. A good example of this, I would say, is that of the musical fob watch in For A Few Dollars More. Every time the bandit produces the watch it plays a slightly different tune and this helps the viewer judge his state of mind. I was wondering, in your opinion, which of your soundtracks helps push on the plot the most or helps the viewer of the film understand the psychology of the characters on screen the most?
EM: I need to explain a few things before I can answer this question. Say for example if you gave a scene from a film to ten different composers, you would get ten different compositions which would all be good but would all characterize the film in different ways. The differences would be according to the composer's state of mind, their personality, their individual style and imagination...So actually when I'm given a scenario like that one, it is just my personality, my style, my ideas and my imagination that I use to depict and describe what is going on musically, in the way I see it.
But do you agree that with the watch in For A Few Dollars More, every time it is used in that film, it specifically tells you what is going through the bandit's mind?
EM: Yes, I do agree with you and in this case the music that the watch makes transfers your thought to a different place because it is just a watch and of course every time the bandit winds on this watch this character, who is thinking about his life and all the difficult situations he has been in and has lived through, the rage, the violence, the fear, come out through this watch. The character itself comes out through the watch but in a different situation every time it appears.
How difficult is it to express these profoundly fundamental human emotions that need to be expressed in a lot of films and that affect all of us, without resorting to musical cliché?
EM: That actually depends on when you're writing something that you're writing music with psychological complexity rather than in cliché or something predictable but this in turn depends on the composer and his way of feeling things and interpreting things. Because if he can write with psychology then he can hopefully tell you more about the thing that the music is describing. If he can disclose something different maybe it's because he is a deep person or has studied music deeply or knows exactly how to use music from a psychological point of view. If he has a deep culture in music or a deep sensitivity he may get there but then it also depends on where he wants to get... it depends on who he actually is as a person...
Was there a palpable sense in the late 1960s through to the late 1970s that the avant garde had collided with the mainstream - especially in the field of soundtracks? And at the time, did it feel like the avant garde had taken a great leap forward for good?
EM: Well, actually avant garde music did not take over the mainstream. Speaking about myself, for example, I used the avant garde music when scoring films as an experiment. I wanted to experiment with going deep into the traumatic recesses of the film. And I used this music when I wanted to describe a certain kind of trauma, when the situation was very, very difficult or when something horrible had happened. For example, when I started to score for the film director Dario Argento and I went ahead with scoring other films which are not so well known or famous. But after a while, let's say that I started hearing people telling me "Ennio, if you keep on writing this kind of music then 'they' won't call you anymore." And that's when I had to quit with the avant garde music!
If I were to be very coarse... and I only mean this in the broadest possible terms... but if you were to split your career into two halves as a film writer then the first half would be as an edgy, underground and experimental composer and the second half would be as a very famous international star. I was wondering which half of your career, in these terms, offered you more freedom? The underground and relatively unknown or the famous and mainstream?
EM: First of all, I would like to tell you that you have really understood my career, which I am pleased about! It is really nice and really interesting what you have said. I will try and give you a short answer but the question is quite complicated. First, I should say that I got to have my artistic career in both halves of my career but let me explain further. Let's say that what I did was quite unique because I used tonal music which you might call melodic music. And I used this style and into this type of music I sneaked in some styles of avant garde music and this was unnoticed. No-one really realised I was doing this directly. At this time I was a student of the School Of Vienna. It was a unique historical process that I did at this time. And I just wanted my work to be based on that because I just thought that it was very interesting and important for me to be following this process. And this resembled a clock going backwards because I was taking new things and adding them to very old ways of doing things. It is not very easy to explain this process! To give you an example for your reference, if you watch the opening credits to A Fistful Of Dynamite, in that particular score you will be able to definitely understand what I am talking about, being a student of the School of Vienna and the rest of it. This was a mixing or a mingling of tonal music and avant garde music. Another example is that when you change chords, there is no verticality. The music shifts from left to right and that is exactly what I mean by music that was written in those days.

Roberta: I hope you are understanding this. His explanations are very complicated and I am trying to be as literal as possible.
No, this is really interesting. Thank you. When you used to write library music, did you invent your own narrative for these scores and if the answer is 'yes', did you find that this made the transition to writing film scores, easier or more difficult?
EM: When I was arranging and composing library music in the early part of my career, what I used to do was give my music a kind of autonomy. I wanted music to go on by itself. To have a life of its own. And it was very useful for me when I was doing arrangements and things because listening to an orchestra in this way was very useful for when I went on to composing for films and actual musical composition for piano or for orchestra. This experience really helped me a lot.

Roberta: I think we're almost there, sorry to interrupt...
When you composed 'Se Telefonando' for Mina, you had a massive hit with 'In Italy' in 1966. Did you feel like a pop star? Were you treated like a pop star?
EM: [indignant] The pop star was Mina. She was a proper pop star. I was not.
Did you meet Morrissey before working on some of the strings for Ringleader Of The Tormentors?
EM: I didn't meet him personally, I spoke to the producer Tony Visconti before starting but you know, he did not use what I did for the album anyway. It was not his style.
Are you a fan of Miles Davis? And if so what is your favourite album by him?
EM: Miles Davis is a great artist and I love him. There is him and a handful of other American jazz artists that I feel a great emotional depth for. His music makes me happy. I love him.
It was a pleasure and an honour to speak to you.
EM: Thank you very much, it was a great interview, it was really interesting and you really had me work very hard to answer some of those questions!
Ennio Morricone will be in concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London on April 10 at 7.30 pm, where he will conduct a 100 piece orchestra and 100 person choir in performing his classic film soundtracks. Click here for ticket information.
The programme is as follows:

ICARO SECONDO

SCATTERED SHEETS:

H2 S

Il Clan Dei Siciliani

Metti Una Sera a Cena

Uno Che Grida Amore (From the film: Metti Una Sera a Cena)

Coma Madalena (From the film: Maddalena)

THE MODERNITY OF MYTH IN SERGIO LEONE'S CINEMA:

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Titles

Once Upon A Time In The West

A Fistful Of Dynamite

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - The Ecstacy Of Gold

TRE ADAGI

NOSTROMO

TRIBUTE TO MAURO BOLOGNINI:

Per Le Antiche Scale

L'eredita' Ferramonti

MISSION:

Gabriel's Oboe

Falls

On Earth As It Is In Heaven
With thanks to Stuart Kirkham, John Tatlock, Matt Evans and Matt Colgate for their help and advice

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The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Ennio Morricone Interviewed:

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Ennio Morricone is not a slight man. He is a slim man. A man of average height. But he is not slight. It would be fair enough, perhaps, to say that he is unconcerned with being prepossessing. Perhaps less plagued with status anxiety than most. Certainly he is not a big head...

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Cinema Paradiso Official 25th Anniversary trailer from Arrow Films

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Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni(J)

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Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni(J)

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Born in Rome in 1928, started writing music at the age of six.

created soundtracks for over 400 films and television productions released in English, Italian, German, and French.

rock, jazz, folk, blues, classical music

“simple musical scores”

Movie: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,  Once Upon a Time in America, Cinema Paradiso, The Mission, The Untouchables...

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Ennio Morricone is one of the most eclectic and prolific film composers in the entire history of the genre. He began composing scores for Italian westerns (often called "spaghetti westerns") in the 1960s, and over the course of his career has created soundtracks for over 400 films and television productions released in English, Italian, German, and French. In addition to westerns, he has composed highly melodic scores for mystery thrillers, romantic dramas, comedies, and epics, including The Untouchables, La Cage aux Folles, The Mission, and Disclosure.

In an interview with Fred Karlin, author of Listening to Movies, Morricone discussed his humble beginnings, stating, "My first films were light comedies or costume movies that required simple musical scores that were easily created, a genre that I never completely abandoned even when I went on to much more important films with major directors."

Yet these "simple musical scores" were inherently ingenious, immediately setting Morricone apart from his contemporaries. The compositions were marked by a blend of rock, jazz, folk, blues, classical music, and "found" sounds-birdcalls, gunshots, footsteps, the lash of a whip, rolling baby carriages, animal noises, and, most notably, the human whistle. Writing for the Village Voice in 1986, Peter Watrous remarked, "[Morricone] has an acute sense for sound, and if it means using lower-class instruments - electric guitars, cheezo keyboards - to gain a specific effect, he'll do it." Morricone's work with director Sergio Leone on the classic 1960s "man with no name" trilogy vaulted both Morricone and actor Clint Eastwood to instant cult stardom. In scores for A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Morricone mirrored the violence, irony, and campy humor pervading the classic Eastwood westerns.

Though westerns established Morricone as a "name" in the film-score business, his work with major directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Federico Fellini, Roman Polanski, and Roland Joffe put him on par with composers like John Williams, the man who dominated film music in the 1980s with the memorable themes to Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Star Wars.

In the 1990s, roughly a quarter-century after he first attained prominence, moviegoers would be moved by Morricone's dramatic swells in big-screen epics such as City of Joy, and startled by his jagged strings in thrillers like Wolf. "Morricone, in short, is a postmodernist," wrote Harlan Kennedy in a 1991 interview in American Film. "Every acoustic gewgaw is grist for his mill; every period of musical history may be ransacked for inspiration. No wonder that in the 1990s, at the peak of his form, he's become the musical general in the Italian invasion of American cinema." Still, Morricone is loath to define himself in any category of film composers. He said in American Film, "I can't classify myself. Others must do it. Others, if they wish, can analyze my works."

Born in Rome in 1928, Morricone started writing music at the age of six. He holds diplomas in composition, trombone, and orchestra direction from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, and he long played trombone there with a local music group called Nuova Consonanza. Along with his classical compositions, he has composed a ballet (Requiem for Destiny) but little other non-film music. His first full-length film composition was for Luciano Salce's Il federale (The Fascist) in 1961, though his fame was not established until Leone's mid-1960s trilogy and 1968′s Once upon a Time in the West, perhaps Morricone's best-known score.

Morricone has often described his music as being about the pain inside a character. He told American Film contributor Kennedy that the screams, whistles, bells, and whips used in the "man with no name" trilogy were essential because they underlined the quirks of the character played by Eastwood. "I do only what I think is correct," he said. "A composer has the obligation to 'invent and capture' noises, the musical sounds of life."

Perhaps Morricone's most famous single "invention" was the theme song for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, which topped the American charts after it was borrowed and slightly altered by Hugo Montenegro - a slight that still irritates the composer. And though he writes almost exclusively for events onscreen, Morricone's soundtracks have endured on their own when released separately, often topping album charts.

Director Leone once told Kennedy that in the beginning of their collaboration, he would invite Morricone to his house and have him work on a piano that was out of tune, because "if a score is good, it must rise above a bad instrument." For the most part, Morricone begins his work on a film score by consulting the director about problem spots in the film and suggesting musical solutions. Only after this collaboration takes place does Morricone begin his work with an orchestra. Watrous explained of Morricone's signature style, "Where Morricone comments on the action, it's wildly imaginative kitsch.... Even without the visuals, the soundtracks are perfectly formed, if small, bits of music reeking sleaze." This down-and-dirty aspect of his work has attracted a devoted following among other musicians, including experimentalist John Zorn, who made his own "cover" versions of some of Morricone's work in the 1980s.

Despite the suggestion that Morricone's music needs no visual accompaniment, the composer told Listening to Movies author Karlin, "Actually, people are little concerned with the musical element if they are watching a film, except when the music is ... particularly emphasized." In fact, Morricone is usually brought in only after a film is completed. Because at this point it is effectively too late to alter the look of the film, some directors rely on the score to smooth over any weak points in the drama. Many films depend heavily on music to establish suspense, for example. Ultimately, the composer is confronted with having his score cut to fit precise moments of the film. (To counter this, Morricone has become active in the release of his works as they were initially conceived, personally overseeing the musical selection and arrangements.)

Musically enhanced cinematic moments, nonetheless, can carry a film. In a 1992 review of the movie Bugsy, an Entertainment Weekly reviewer stated, "Morricone achieves something here that [very few] even try: music that's as integral to the movie's very conception as the dialogue, camera work, and performances." In American Film, Morricone supported this statement by insisting that music in a film add depth to the story and characters; it must "say all that the dialogue, images, effects, etc., cannot say."

If Morricone has a weakness, it is his incredible productivity, which inevitably leads to the occasionally listless score; this was the critical consensus about his work on the generally forgettable films So Fine, Butterfly, and The Thing. Writing for Melody Maker, Frank Owen found the soundtrack to The Mission "just plain dull."

Rising at five every morning, Morricone locks himself in his room to keep from becoming distracted by the hubbub of his Italian household. Alluding to Morricone's massive body of work, Kennedy asked the composer, who often publishes music under the pseudonym Loe Nichols or Nicola Piovanti, if he ever grows weary of scoring film after film. To this Morricone responded, "I'm not tired of writing music. It's the only thing that I know how to do."

Indeed, Morricone hardly slowed down at all as he entered his eighth decade of life, remaining active on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He showed his range by writing the score for actor-director Warren Beatty's film Bulworth, and also rejoined Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore in 1998 for The Legend of 1900. Morricone's score for Tornatore's 1988 film Cinema Paradiso has remained one of his most beloved, and the new score was hailed for its musical-historical accuracy and for the research its composer had put into the enterprise.

Tornatore and Morricone teamed up once more in 2000 for the Italian melodrama Malena, whose score brought Morricone his fifth Academy Award nomination to go with a host of other cinematic awards. The first four were for Days of Heaven (1978), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987), and Bugsy (1991). To go with these formal accolades, Morricone notched a more modern kind of honor in 2002 when a group of dance music DJs issued an album, Morricone RMX, devoted to remixes of music from his film scores. A similar effort, Ennio Morricone Remixes, appeared on the German label Compost the following year. "I am honored and surprised that this happens," Morricone told London's Independent newspaper.

Morricone continued writing classical music as well, although it was more often heard in Europe than in the United States. Major validation of his music came from the classical world in 2004, when best-selling cellist Yo-Yo Ma recorded an album of arrangements of Morricone's film music. The 76-year-old composer arranged and conducted the music for the album himself. Asked by the London Sunday Telegraph to look back on his career, Morricone pronounced himself "satisfied with what I've done. But I still think I can improve. You can always do better, you know."

by Sarah Messer and James M. Manheim

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Biography Ennio Morricone | Ennio Morricone

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Ennio Morricone is one of the most eclectic and prolific film composers in the entire history of the genre. He began composing scores for Italian westerns (often called "spaghetti westerns") in the 1960s, and over the course of his career has created soundtracks for over 400 films and television productions released in English, Italian, German, and French.

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Native to: Latium/ Roman Kingdom/Early modern Europe/Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (lingua franca)/Vatican City

Ethnicity: Latins
Language family: Indo-European

Writing system: Latin alphabet

Latin was first used in Rome. Vulgar Latin developed into the Romance languages, such as Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Romanian. Now Latin’s roots are used in English descriptions of theology, biology, science, medicine and law.

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Italy’s history as a leader of visual design. Italy's general obsession with art and beauty, so they will have excellence of Italian fashion in editing, design and photography. That's why Italian fashion magazines the best in the world.

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it's a semi-annually clothing and fashion exhibitions.
Part of the global "Big Four fashion weeks" with Paris, London and New York.

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Italian fashion became prominent during  11th~16th centuries.
"Made in Italy" will let people connected to excellence merchandise,  because Italian luxury goods were all high quality, refinement and have guarantee of the quality materials.

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Milan is a city recognized world fashion and design capital in the world. It has a long history and is famous for its sightseeing, fashion and architectural landscape.

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Fresco: a painting technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster. Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh"

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Italy stage and win the second FIFA World Cup

Vittorio Pozzo's Azzurri see off Austria's Wunderteam, Czechoslovakia

Losing 1930 Finalist Luis Monti, now playing with Italy, gets redemption

Hosts Italy became the first European winners of the FIFA World Cup™ when the second chapter of the fledgling competition unfolded in 1934.

It was a tournament on a bigger scale than four years before, with eight host cities compared with one and live radio broadcasts taking the action to listeners in 12 of the competing countries. Yet as in Uruguay, it was the home side who took the spoils, goals from Raimondo Orsi and Angelo Schiavio helping Vittorio Pozzo's Italy secure a 2-1 comeback triumph against Czechoslovakia in the Final in Rome.

After the success of the first FIFA World Cup, there was now a 32-team preliminary round to decide the 16 finalists. In the only instance of its kind, Italy had to qualify for their own tournament by defeating Greece. Mexico provided another one-off by travelling to the finals but not playing a single game. Although they had initially beaten Cuba to earn a place, a late application by the United States left the unlucky Mexicans facing another qualifier on arrival in Rome and they lost out 4-2.

Holders absent
Uruguay were the most notable omission from the lineup of contenders, having declined to participate in retaliation for Italy's refusal to travel in 1930 - thereby creating another footnote in the history books as the only holders not to defend their prize. The South American teams that did make the long journey were soon bound for home as Argentina and Brazil, both fielding under-strength sides, suffered first-round losses to Sweden and Spain respectively.

DID YOU KNOW 🤔

The youngest #WorldCup coach of all time is Felipe Pascucci, who was just 26 when he led @Argentina at 🇮🇹Italy 1934 👶#WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/T8AaGJr1hk
- FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) February 21, 2018

Argentina, who featured no survivors from 1930, had been unhappy to lose several key players to Italian football, among them midfielder Luisito Monti, who had appeared in the Final four years earlier. He would now play his part in Italy's victory along with Atilio DeMaria, Enrico Guaita and Orsi - all fellow 'oriundi', players of Italian descent now returned from South America.

Orsi scored twice and Schiavio a hat-trick as Italy, well prepared by the authoritarian Pozzo, made an emphatic start by thrashing the United States 7-1 in Rome. It was the biggest win of the tournament but not the only eye-catching performance of the first round. Egypt, the first African representatives on the world stage, retrieved a two-goal deficit against Hungary before eventually succumbing 4-2. France, meanwhile, supplied unexpectedly obdurate opposition for Austria, taking the lead against the Wunderteam before losing out 3-2 after extra time.

He played in two consecutive Finals of the @FIFAWorldCup for two different countries ► https://t.co/5cexK3l7b1 pic.twitter.com/RICHrKnvJw
- FIFA Museum (@FIFAMuseum) March 25, 2016

Austria underline credentials
Austria rivalled Italy for the tag of tournament favourites. Coach Hugo Meisl had refined the short passing game introduced to central Europe by Englishman Jimmy Hogan and, with an attack orchestrated by the so-called'Paper Man', the frail but graceful Matthias Sindelar, they had underlined their credentials by beating the Italians 4-2 in Florence four months before. However, there was little opportunity for flowing football in an ill-tempered quarter-final success over neighbours Hungary that was likened to a "street battle" by one contemporary account.

Nor did the conditions facilitate their favoured passing game in the ensuing semi-final against Italy where Sindelar's threat was stymied by the close-marking Monti. On a wet, heavy pitch, the hosts prevailed through Guaita's solitary first-half strike, showing admirable stamina in what was their third match in four days following a hard-fought quarter-final contest with Spain.

The Azzurri had battled back to draw 1-1 with Spain when the sides met on 31 May. Twenty-four hours later they squared off again - with Spain goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora absent from the much-changed lineups - and this time Giuseppe Meazza, a forward so good they named the San Siro after him, scored the only goal. The Spanish headed home pointing to disallowed efforts in both games but that did not matter to an Italian public swept up in a mood of nationalistic fervour.

Home support
Of the 367,000 spectators who passed through the turnstiles, more than half of that number were for the home nation's five matches, which averaged 37,600 fans. Such was the desire of Italy's fascist leader Benito Mussolini to showcase his country's strengths, he even had an additional trophy commissioned - the Coppa Del Duce, whose dimensions dwarfed the real thing.

Italy's opponents in the Final in Rome on 10 June would be Czechoslovakia. Like Austria, they were pupils of the 'Danubian school' of short passing and had noted performers at both ends of the field in goalkeeper Frantisek Planicka and forward Oldrich Nejedly, whose five goals earned him the Golden Shoe. After a narrow first-round victory over Romania, they had needed to come from behind to defeat Switzerland 3-2 in the last eight, Nejedly grabbing a late winner. The same player's hat-trick then secured a 3-1 semi-final triumph over a Germany side who gained some consolation by claiming the bronze medal at Austria's expense.

Nejedly did not score in the Final but Puc did, the Czech winger stunning most of the 50,000 crowd in the PNF Stadium with a low drive that put the underdogs ahead with just 14 minutes remaining. Italy almost conceded a second when Svoboda struck the frame of the goal but instead, in the 81st minute, they were level as Orsi's freakish shot swerved past Planicka.

Into extra time and Pozzo showed he was more than a mere disciplinarian, his instructions to Guaita and Schiavino to switch positions bearing fruit as the pair combined for the winner. From Meazza's cross, Guaita played in Schiavino and he found the back of the net. Italy were world champions for the first time.

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2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - News - Delight for the Azzurri as home advantage tells

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Italy delighted their passionate home support by coming from behind to beat Czechoslovakia in the first FIFA World Cup Final played on European soil. Angelo Schiavio scored the winning goal for the Azzurri, who had overcome the highly-rated Austrian Wunderteam in the semi-finals.

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La Dolce Vita - Original Italian Trailer

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Native to: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, Malta, Slovenian Istra (Slovenia), Istria County and Daimatia (Croatia), Corsica and Nice (France), Kotor and Tivqt (Montenegro) and Corfu (Greece)
Ethnicity: Italians
Language Family: Indo-Europeans
Writing system: Latin (Italian alphabet)
Spoken in Italy: 57.7 million people

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Five crazy Italian festivals no one should miss

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1934, 1938, 1982, 2006

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2006 Winter Olympic

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Amazing Highlights - Turin 2006 Winter Olympics | Opening Ceremony

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Spoken in Italy:34%
Spoken as additional language 34%

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The foods in Italy are special because Italy is located at a trading point, so it can receive items from China, Europe, etc. Terrain influence is also affecting the uniqueness of Italian foods. Mountains and seas North of Italy is mainly composed of highlands and mountains, with average annual temperatures being low.