Italy is an enchanting country in Europe with its magnificent landscapes, museums, churches, arts, history, culture, culinary delicacies, sports, fashion, language, and people.
There are a lot of important people that contributed to Italy leaves its mark slogan.
They play a very important role in “L’Italia e’ una Repubblica democratica, fondata sul lavoro” or Italy is a democratic Republic, founded on labor. Here are the ten most important people to ever be born in Italy.
1. Christopher Columbus
This historical figure is the man to the question, “Who discovered America?” He was born in Genoa in 1451. In Italy, he is known as Cristoforo Colombo, which was long thought to be his birth name, and in Spanish as Cristóbal Colón.
He is called the “discoverer” of the New World. He is a famous explorer and navigator who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain. He had a mission to find a westward route by water from Europe to Asia but instead stumbled upon the Americas which eventually led to the colonization and further exploration of North and South America. The arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492 has been described by many historians as the beginning of the Colonial Period.
2. Marco Polo
He is a merchant from Venice who was born on September 15, 1254 and is well known for his classic travel literature “The Travels of Marco Polo” or The Book of Travels.
This book contains a documentary of his routes and explorations. It is the greatest legacy of Marco Polo as this book was utilized in the making of maps. It was the main reference in understanding European geography. His travels lasted from 1271-1295 and his writings and experiences served as the basis for Europe’s early knowledge about China and Central Asia. His book even inspired travelers such as Christopher Columbus to go on their own adventures.
3. Galileo Galilei
He invented the telescope. Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa on February 15, 1564. He invented an improved telescope that let him observe and describe the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, the phases of Venus, sunspots, and the rugged lunar surface.
He is a famous astronomer who is also considered the father of modern science. He has contributed significantly to physics, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and much more. Galileo’s work laid the foundation for today’s modern space probes and telescopes.
4. Leonardo da Vinci
He is a great painter of all times who was born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy. His notable works Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and other paintings and sculptures are preserved and displayed in museums.
He is a natural genius who knows a lot in many disciplines. In 1490, he began a project of writing treatises on the “science of painting,” architecture, mechanics, and anatomy. His numerous surviving manuscripts are noted for being written in a backward script that requires a mirror to be read. His designs, art, cartography, geology, and studies were used to invent things like the helicopter, parachute, tank, and many other things. Leonardo da Vinci is best known as an artist, his work as a scientist and an inventor made him a true Renaissance man. He applied the scientific method to every aspect of life, including art and music.
5. Michelangelo
Michelangelo Buonarroti is an Italian Renaissance artist who was born in the small village of Caprese on March 6, 1475. He is a sculptor. artist, painter, and architect.
His best-known sculpture is the monumental statue of David made between 1501 and 1504 at the time of the High Renaissance in Florence. It is displayed in the Accademia Gallery. His other famous works are the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, which include the iconic depiction of the creation of Adam interpreted from Genesis.
6. Maria Montessori
She is a doctor despite the gender norms during her time. Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870, in Chiaravalle, Ancona province, Italy.
All her learnings, theories, and knowledge about child behavior and education led her to create and practice a specific philosophy of education, which is what she is well known for— the Montessori. This method of education prioritizes the development of the child’s desire to learn with hands-on activities and necessary life skills instead of focusing on the typical formally structured education.
7. Julius Caesar
Born on July 12, 100 BC, in Suburra, Italy, he transformed Rome from a republic to an empire, grabbing power through ambitious political reforms. He is remembered for his military and political successes but also for his relationship with Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen.
He led the Roman legions in their conquest of Gaul, an area that covers much of modern-day France as well as parts of Belgium, Germany, and Italy. He became more famous when he decreed the year began with the first of January, not with the vernal equinox in late March. This calendar was named the Julian calendar, after Julius Caesar, and it continues to be used by Eastern Orthodox churches for holiday calculations to this day.
8. Leonardo Fibonacci
He is a math genius who was born around 1170 in Pisa, Italy. His book “Liber Abaci,” or The Book of Calculation is a guidebook for tradespeople. He introduced the Fibonacci sequence, which is a series of numbers to Europe and the world.
Leonardo Fibonacci’s wide-ranging mathematical concepts include what is now known as the Arabic numbering system, the concept of square roots, number sequencing, square root, the bar we use in fractions, and math word problems.
9. Saint Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas was born around 1225 in Roccasecca, Italy. He was an Italian priest who was an immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism.
His greatest legacy is his comprehensive synthesis of Christian theology and Aristotelian philosophy which influenced Roman Catholic doctrine for centuries and was adopted as the official philosophy of the church in 1917. He is called Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, and Doctor Universalis.
10. Antonio Meucci
Antonio Meucci was born on April 13, 1808, in Florence, Italy. He is best known as a voice communication apparatus developer. He investigated electromagnetic voice communication for many years. In 1856, he succeeded in broadcasting his voice through a wiring setup. He had created a telephone-style piece of equipment in his house so he could communicate with his disabled wife.
He was arguably the first to invent the telephone but unfortunately, he lacked the finances to support his invention. Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent in 1875 for the same type of device. Meucci continued inventing and designing prototypes throughout the rest of his life, achieving patents including candle molds, a lamp burner, a hygrometer, and a method of testing milk.
Conclusion:
It is amazing to learn about these 10 important people in Italy. They are geniuses and brave. To learn about their life is to appreciate their legacy to Italians and the world. They made our existence today a better experience.