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Nero was the fifth Roman emperor whose rule was associated with tyranny. Five years into his reign, he had his mother Agrippina killed. The Great Fire of Rome, which occurred during his reign, is believed to have been instigated by him for political reasons. He was also responsible for eliminating many Christians from the empire.
Born into a musical dynasty, composer Giacomo Puccini lost his father at age 5. Some of his best opera pieces include Madama Butterfly and La Bohème. The suicide of his maid, who was wrongly accused by his wife of being in an affair with him, affected his later career adversely.
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor reigned as the King of Sicily, King of Germany, King of Italy, and King of Jerusalem. An avid patron of the arts and science, Frederick played an important role in supporting literature. He promoted the Sicilian School of poetry, which played an influential role in developing literature in Italy.
While he had been an Armani Junior model at 6, Pietro Boselli later earned a mechanical engineering degree, completed his PhD, and taught math. After a student posted a photo of him on Facebook and it went viral, Boselli became a sensation, gaining fame as the world's hottest math teacher.
Masaccio was a Florentine artist best remembered for his skills at recreating lifelike figures and imitating nature. Widely regarded as the best painter of his generation, Masaccio employed foreshortenings and nudes in his paintings, which were rarely seen at that time. He is also considered the first great Italian artist of the Quattrocento period.
Santo Versace is an Italian businessman and politician. He is the president and co-CEO of Gianni Versace SpA, a luxury fashion company. He is also a shareholder of Viola Reggio Calabria Basketball. As a politician, he is a member of the Alliance for Italy political party. Previously, he was a member of The People of Freedom group.
Edwige Fenech is an Algerian-born Maltese-Sicilian film producer and actress. She is best known for starring in the commedia sexy all'italiana, a subgenre of commedia all'italiana film genre, which made her a popular sex symbol of her time. Edwige Fenech is also known for appearing in giallo films.
Selen is the stage name of Luce Caponegro, an Italian actress and TV presenter. She received training in singing and classical dance as a child. She began her career as a porn star and found considerable success in the adult film industry. She, later on, entered mainstream cinema and TV as well. Her love for animals is well-known.
Pippa Bacca made international headlines in March 2008, when she was found naked and strangled on the outskirts of Istanbul. The Italian feminist artist had apparently been raped and murdered in the middle of her hitch-hiking program Brides on Tour, which had her traveling from Milan dressed as a bride.
Luisa Ranieri is an Italian actress best known for her portrayal of American-born Greek singer Maria Callas in the 2005 TV film Callas e Onassis, which is the only movie ever made to exclusively depict the close friendship and emotional relationship between Maria Callas and Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Ranieri achieved international prominence after appearing in Letters to Juliet.
Gigliola Cinquetti is an Italian actress, singer, songwriter, and television presenter. After winning the Sanremo Music Festival at the age of 16, Cinquetti went on to represent her country in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964. She became the youngest winner when she gave Italy its first victory in the event. Cinquetti returned to the contest in 1974 and finished second.
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was an Italian poet, art theorist, and editor. He is credited with founding the Futurist movement and is remembered for his work Manifesto of Futurism. In 1918, he founded a political party called Futurist Political Party as an extension of the social and futurist artistic movement. The party merged with the Italian Fasces of Combat in 1919.
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa was an Italian writer best remembered as the last Prince of Lampedusa. Tomasi is quite popular for his novel The Leopard which was published posthumously in 1958. His life and career inspired a docufilm titled Die Geburt des Leoparden which was directed by Luigi Falorni and screened at the 14th Rome Film Festival.
Maria De Filippi is an Italian TV host who is often counted among the most popular presenters in Italian television. De Filippi currently runs the popular production company Fascino PGT, which was founded by her husband Maurizio Costanzo. Over the years, Maria De Filippi has won several Telegatto awards for her contribution to Italian television.
Francesca Morvillo was an Italian magistrate. In 1992, Morvillo became the first and only woman magistrate to be assassinated in Italy; she was killed alongside her husband Giovanni Falcone by the Sicilian Mafia. Her funeral was aired live on national television and a day of mourning was declared by the Parliament.
Pope Julius II served as the ruler of the Papal States and head of the Catholic Church from 1503 until his death in 1513. One of the most influential and powerful popes, Julius II left a significant political and cultural legacy. He commissioned a series of architecture and art projects, which beautified and improved the city to a great extent.
Italo Svevo was an Italian writer, playwright, novelist, short story writer, and businessman. Svevo was regarded as a pioneer of psychological fiction. He is remembered for his work La coscienza di Zeno, which is considered his magnum opus. Svevo is widely regarded as an important writer of the 20th century whose works had an influence on later generations of writers.
