Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

277 results found

Messina, Strait of

(Encyclopedia)Messina, Strait of, channel, c.20 mi (32 km) long and from 2 to 10 mi (3.2–16 km) wide, separating the Italian peninsula from Sicily and connecting the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. Reggio di Calabria...

Mario

(Encyclopedia)Mario märˈyō [key], 1810–83, stage name of Giovanni Matteo, Cavaliere di Candia, Italian tenor. An officer of the Piedmontese guard, he went to Paris in 1836 and studied at the Paris Conservatory...

Trenck, Franz, Freiherr von der

(Encyclopedia)Trenck, Franz, Freiherr von der fränts frīˈhĕr fən dĕr trĕngk [key], 1711–49, Austrian officer and adventurer, b. Reggio di Calabria, Italy. A daring soldier known for his duels and love affa...

Rhegium

(Encyclopedia)Rhegium rēˈjēəm [key], ancient city, S Italy, on the Strait of Messina. It is the modern Reggio di Calabria. Founded (c.720 b.c.) as a colony of Chalcis, many Messenians later settled there. It wa...

Ferrante, Elena

(Encyclopedia)Ferrante, Elena, pseud. of the contemporary writer often considered the finest Italian novelist of her generation; the details of her personal life are a closely guarded secret. Her novels, the first ...

Gozzi, Gasparo

(Encyclopedia)Gozzi, Gasparo gôtˈtsē [key], 1713–86, Italian critic and poet; brother of Carlo Gozzi. Struggling to support a large family, he wrote plays, stories, articles, and poems. He founded the literar...

Forlì

(Encyclopedia)Forlì fōrlēˈ [key], city, capital of Forlì prov., Emilia-Romagna, N central Italy. It is...

Capuana, Luigi

(Encyclopedia)Capuana, Luigi lo͞oēˈjē käpwäˈnä [key], 1839–1915, Italian critic and novelist. His activities included teaching, scientific study, and politics. He wrote in almost every genre, but his repu...

Sanmicheli, Michele

(Encyclopedia)Sanmicheli, Michele mēkĕˈlā sänmēkĕˈlē [key], c.1484–1559, Italian architect and engineer. He was influenced by Bramante's works in Rome, and after 1527 worked primarily in Verona, where hi...

Draghi, Mario

(Encyclopedia)Draghi, Mario mäˈēō drägˈē [key], 1947–, Italian economist and government and international ...