A list of famous Italians from the Renaissance artists to the great Roman emperors and the political founders of modern Italy.
Augustus Caesar (63 BC-AD 14), The first Roman Emperor, who strengthened the Empire through his administrative skills, diplomacy and military success. Often considered an ‘enlightened dictator.’
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Roman emperor and philosopher. For many generations, Aurelius symbolized the Golden Age of the Roman Empire.
St Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226) The son of a nobleman, Francis underwent a religious conversion and forsook his wealth to become a monk devoted to chastity and poverty. Under his inspirational leadership, he founded a new order of monks – The Franciscans, seeking to live the spirit of the Gospels.
Marco Polo (1254 – 1324) Polo was a Venetian traveller and explorer who made ground-breaking journeys to Asia and China. His journeys and writings helped to open up the Far East to Europe and are said to have inspired Christopher Columbus and many other explorers.
Dante (1265–1321) was a major Italian poet of the Middle Ages. His Divine Comedy is one of the most influential European works of literature. Dante is also called the “Father of the Italian language”.
Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), Dominican tertiary, mystic, and patron saint of Italy who played a major role in returning the papacy from Avignon to Rome (1377).
Christopher Columbus
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527), political philosopher and writer; best known for his The Prince (1532); one of the world’s most famous essays on political science. Machiavellian politics has become a term to describe a type of political intrigue.
Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872) – Italian political activist. Campaigned for a united Republic of Italy. Mazzini supported several insurrections against the foreign rule of Italian states. He played a key role in cementing support for a united Italy.
Giuseppe Garibaldi (1805 – 1872) – National hero of Italy. Garibaldi led a volunteer army in the Italian Wars of Independence. He played a key role in uniting Italy. He also fought in Latin America and became known as ‘The Hero of Two Worlds.’
Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) A leading Italian composer of opera in the 19th century. Verdi was widely regarded as a musical genius for elevating the quality of opera. Verdi was an influential figure in the reunification of Italy
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (1820–1878), king of Sardinia–Piedmont who became the first king of a united Italy. With the help of Giuseppe Garibaldi, he was proclaimed the first King of Italy, paving the way for the modern state of Italy.
Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) Fascist dictator. Mussolini was head of the Italian government from 1925-43. He sought to create a new Roman Empire by allying himself with axis powers. He was executed by partisans during the fall of Italy to the Allied forces.
Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968), Capuchin priest. He is renowned among Roman Catholics as one of the Church’s modern stigmatists. He is widely revered as a modern-day saint, canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
Sophia Loren (1934 – ) actress. One of Italy’s great 20th-century iconic female actresses.
Other famous Italians
Silvio Berlusconi (1936), media tycoon who served three times as prime minister of Italy and has suffered numerous scandals and criminal investigations.
Romano Prodi (1939), a politician who was twice prime minister of Italy (1996–98; 2006–08) and who served as president of the European Commission (1999–2004) One of the leading critics of Berlusconi.
Umberto Eco (1932), novelist; best known for his novel The Name of the Rose (1980)
Luciano Pavarotti (1935 – 2007) – Operatic tenor singer. Pavarotti became one of best known operatic and popular singers of the Twentieth Century.
Sportsmen
Valentino Rossi ( 1979), one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time
Frankie Dettori (1970), probably the best-known jockey in the world
Mario Balotelli (1990), footballer.
Gianluigi Buffon (1978), footballer. One of the most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history
Alessandro Del Piero (born 1974) regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Famous Italians”, Oxford, UK www.biographyonline.net, 01/12/2013
Italian history and the Italian people
Italian history and the Italian people at Amazon
Related pages
Famous Artists – A list of the great artists including Italian artists Leonardo da Vinci, Bernini, Botticelli and Raphael.
Ancient Greeks (8th Century BC to 0 AD) Famous people of the classical Greek period. Poets, statesmen and the fore-runners of democracy.