Adrian VI, Pope (Adriaan Florisz Boeyens) b. March 2, 1459 d. September 14, 1523 Roman Catholic Pope. Also known as Hadrian VI, he served as Pope from 1522 to 1523. Born Adrian Florisz in Heiligen Römischen Reich Deutscher, Netherlands/Germany alliance, he attempted to reform the Catholic Church to face the challenges posed by the Protestant Reformation, but the attempted reforms of his brief term in office were largely opposed or ignored. He was the only pope from the Netherlands and the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II in 1978. Italians saw him as a pedantic...[Read More] (Bio by: Fred Beisser) Cause of death: Malaria Santa Maria dell' Anima Church, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy Plot: Left side of sanctuary
Agapetus II, Pope d. November 9, 955 Roman Catholic Pope. He was elected to the papacy the 10th of May 946 and reigned for ten years. He worked to restore clerical discipline and supported Otto the Great in his effort to evangelize northern Europe. Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy GPS coordinates: 41.8859100, 12.5061598 (hddd.dddd)
Aleramo, Sibilla b. August 14, 1876 d. January 13, 1960 Author, Social Reformer. Born Rina Faccio in Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy, her first novel, "A Woman" was published in 1906 and republished in 1973. It gained wide acclaim for it's autobiographical telling the story of her escape from a forced marriage to a man who had raped her and of her struggle to live independently as a woman and a writer at the beginning of the twentieth century. Her other works include "Diary of a Woman," "Moving and Being," "The Crossing" and "Letters." (Bio by: MC) Cimitero Comunale Monumentale Campo Verano, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy Plot: Section 61
Alexander VI, Pope b. January 1, 1431 d. August 18, 1503 Roman Catholic Pope. Born Rodrigo de Borjain in Xàtiva, Valencia, Spain, he was proclaimed Pope in 1492. He was the nephew of Pope Callixtus III and father of famous Lucrecia and Cesar Borgia. Iglesia de Santiago y Montserrat, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy Plot: Chapel of San Diego de Alcalá
Allegri, Gregorio b. 1582 d. February 7, 1652 Singer, Composer. Born in Rome, he sang tenor at the Cathedral in Fermo from 1607 until 1628, when he joined Rome's prestigious Papal Choir. It was for this group that he composed his famous "Miserere" (c. 1636). It has been sung at the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week every year since. The Vatican refused to let Allegri publish the "Miserere" and its mysterious harmonies were kept a closely guarded secret until 1770, when a 14 year-old Wolfgang Mozart wrote it down from memory after hearing...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards) Chiesa Nuova, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy Plot: Chapel of St. Philip Neri
Almirante, Italia b. June 4, 1890 d. September 16, 1941 Actress. Considered one of the great divas of the Italian silent cinema, she was born into a family of actors. Beginning her career at a young age she started performing with various theatrical companies. She made her film debut starring in the film "Maria di Magdala" (1910) directed by Mario Caserini, which was followed by films such as "Il poverello di Assisi" (1911) and "Sul sentiero della vipera" (1912). The fame came with the film "Cabiria" (1914) by Giovanni Pastrone, which...[Read More] (Bio by: Ruggero) Cimitero Comunale Monumentale Campo Verano, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy
Amendola, Ferruccio b. July 22, 1930 d. September 3, 2001 Actor, dubber. The nephew of director/writer Mario Amendola, he made his cinema debut in the early 1930s. After years of revue stage, cinema and TV, he devoted himself almost exclusively to dubbing and he gave his voice to some of the biggest male stars in Hollywood; including Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the Italian versions of their movies. He also dubbed Sylvester Stallone in the "Rocky" and "Rambo" films and Bill Cosby in his long-running television comedy show. (Bio by: MC) Cimitero Comunale Monumentale Campo Verano, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy
Angelico, Fra b. 1387 d. February 18, 1455 Early Italian Renaissance Artist. Known to contemporaries as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (Brother John of Fiesole) and Fra Giovanni Angelico (Angelic Brother John), he was born Guido di Pietro at Rupecanina, in the Mugello region of the then Republic of Florence, in present-day Italy. Nothing is known of his childhood or his parents. In October 1417 he joined a religions confraternity at the Santa Maria del Carmine Church in Florence under his birth name. By this time he was already recognized as a...[Read More] (Bio by: William Bjornstad) Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy
Antolak, Sylvester b. September 10, 1916 d. May 24, 1944 World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He served in the United States Army during World War II as a Sergeant in Company B, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division. He was awarded the CMOH for his bravery near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, on May 24, 1944. His citation reads "He charged 200 yards over flat, coverless terrain to destroy an enemy machinegun nest during the second day of the offensive which broke through the German cordon of steel around the Anzio beachhead. Fully 30...[Read More] Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Nettuno, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy Plot: Plot C, Row 12, Grave 13
Augusta, Livia Drusilla Born in 58 B.C. to a powerful and ancient Claudian family, and later married to Cesar Octavian. She was the first woman in Roman history to be actively and influentially involved in all major decisions during her husband's 45-year reign. She was extraordinarily wealthy, and managed her property and assets carefully. Her husband elevated her above all others when he placed statues of her around the city. Her grace, charm and wit served him well in diplomatic affairs. She was considered the...[Read More] (Bio by: Amorifera) Mausoleum of Augustus, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy GPS coordinates: 41.9061089, 12.4763899 (hddd.dddd)
Aurelius, Marcus Roman Emperor and Philosopher. He was born in 121 AD, and, along with Lucius Verus, he was adopted as a son of heir the Emperor Antoninus Pius in 138 AD. As a young man he studied philosophy, particularly the stoic Epicetus, and was made consul for the first time in 140 AD. On Pius's death in 161 AD he and Verus were made joint Emperors, with Verus commanding the legions in the east and Aurelius ruling from Rome. He passed laws to improve the situation of slaves, widows and children and...[Read More] (Bio by: js) Mausoleum of Hadrian, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy
Balbinus Roman Emperor. He was born into a patrician family in approximately 165 AD and served twice as consul, in 203 AD and 211 AD, when he was colleague to the Emperor Caracalla. He acquired a reputation as a poet, orator and magistrate, before serving on a committee to co-ordinate operations against Maximinus Thrax on behalf of the joint Emperors Gordian I and Gordian II. The senate then voted him co-Emperor with Pupianus, with the young Gordian III as their colleague. Pupianus oversaw the campaign...[Read More] (Bio by: js) Via Appia, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy Plot: Tomb of Babinus
Bava, Mario b. July 31, 1914 d. April 25, 1980 Italian Film Director and Screenwriter. He is considered the master of Italian horror cinema. He directed 72 films, including The Mask of Satan (1960) and Kill, Baby, Kill (1966). He became known for creating special effects and cinematographic tricks in an age when digital effects did not yet exist. (Bio by: Ruggero) Cimitero Comunale Monumentale Campo Verano, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy
Bellarmin, Robert b. October 4, 1542 d. September 17, 1621 Roman Catholic Saint. He is described as a modest and very kind man, which reflected in his writings. His mother was a sister of Pope Marcellus II. and an enthusiastic follower of the Society of Jesus. He first visited the Jesuit college in his hometown and went to Rome in 1560, where joined the Jesuits. He also began his studies about philosophy there, to which he later added theology. In 1569 St. Francis Borgia, then...[Read More] (Bio by: Lutetia) Sant' Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy
Bellezza, Dario b. September 5, 1945 d. March 31, 1996 Poet, Author. Bellezza wrote fiction, plays and poetry, for which he won the 'Viareggio Prize' in 1976. He was writing a book, "My AIDS," about his struggle with the disease, when he died. About Bellezza's first volume, "Invectives and Licenses." In 1971, Pier Paoolo Pasolini wrote: "Here is the best poet of the new generation." Death and rebellion against the conventions of society were frequent themes in his work. (Bio by: MC) Campo Cestio, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy
Benedict, Saint b. 480 d. March 21, 547 Roman Catholic Saint and Founder of the Benedictine Monastic Order. The only ancient account if his life is contained in the 2nd volume of Pope Gregory I's four-book "Dialogues," believed to have been written in 593 A.D. He was the son of a Roman noble of Nursia, now known as Norcia, in the southern region of Umbria of the Perugia province in Italy, and had a twin sister, Scholastica, who became a nun (and ultimately a saint) and founded the women's branch of Benedictine Monasticism. According...[Read More] (Bio by: William Bjornstad) Abbey of Montecassino, Cassino, Provincia di Frosinone, Lazio, Italy Plot: Beneath the altar
Benedict IX, Pope b. 1012 d. 1055 Catholic Pope. Son of count of Tusculum Alberich III, nephew of Pope Benedict VIII and Pope John XIX. Rumored to have been 12 years old at the time he became pope, (His precise date of birth is uncertain) he was probably in his late 20's when his family's position and money put him on the papal throne in 1032. Notoriously corrupt, in 1044 he was driven from the throne as unfit to rule by a Roman faction. He returned in 1045, removing antipope, John of Sabina. Soon after, he abdicated in favor...[Read More] (Bio by: MC) Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, Grottaferrata, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy
Berlinguer, Enrico b. May 25, 1922 d. June 11, 1984 Enrico Berlinguer was an Italian Politician and National Secretary of the Italian Communist Party (Partito Comunista Italiano or PCI) from 1972, until his death. The son of Mario Berlinguer and Maria Loriga, Enrico Berlinguer was born in Sassari, Italy, to a noble and important Sardinian family, in a notable cultural context and with familial and political relationships that would heavily influence his life and his career. His surname 'Berlinguer' is of Catalan origin, a reminder of the period...[Read More] Cimitero Flaminio, Rome, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy