Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Christian realm. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne
Emperor in 800, and the Christian king became a papal ally.
After the era of Charlemagne came the Holy Roman
Empire--the largest power base of the time. Battles
between northern European forces, the Lombards,
Normans, and various local groups created the decentral-
ized, highly divided environment in which the Italian city-
states arose in the Middle Ages.
1960s-80s
“The
Years of Lead”: Left-
and right-wing Italian
terrorist groups wage a
low-level civil war
across the country, with
bombings, kidnappings,
and killings.
1994
Billionaire Silvio
Berlusconi is elected
prime minister as part
of “clean government”
campaign.
1995
Berlusconi
resigns as coalition
dissolves, corruption
trials loom.
2001
Berlusconi
is re-elected prime
minister with huge
majority vote.
2002
Euro is
introduced as the
currency of Italy.
2004
Berlusconi
transfers $400,000 to
judge's bank account.
2004
Judges dismiss
all corruption charges
against Berlusconi.
2005
New corruption
charges are introduced
against Berlusconi.
SIGHTS
With one of the leading tribes of the time called
the Vandals, it's no wonder there aren't too many historical
relics from this era. Byzantine-styled religious relics
(Ravenna is a center for this) and paintings are the bulk of
art from this era.
MEDIEVAL ITALY (
A
.
D
. 1000 TO 14TH C.)
With the continual sweeps of competing armies through
Italy, only the strongest, most self-sufficient Italian cities
survived. The Middle Ages featured the rise of city-states
including Venice, Genoa, and Pisa, with merchant fleets
driving their economic growth. This era spawned the first
of the merchant banks, whose money sponsored the armies
and fortifications necessary to survive external attack. The
era also featured the growth of the guild system, with arti-
sans banding together to create cohesive economic and
political groups within the cities. The crusades and pilgrim
routes brought a number of travelers through the cities of
northern and central Italy, further enriching the cities with
trade. But southern Italy didn't experience the same eco-
nomic progress, owing to Norman conquests and an
extended period of feudalistic torpor.
As Italian city-states began to protect themselves from
external invaders, they fell prey to internal strife. The
rivalry between the Holy Roman Empire and papal forces
created a multicentury family feud throughout Italy. While
ostensibly a battle between the temporal powers of the empire and the spiritual
powers of the Pope, it was essentially a fight between two groups who wanted to
be in charge. The “team” names were the Ghibellines (the “whites,” pro-Emperor,
feudalistic) and the Guelphs (the “blacks,” pro-Pope, merchant-class). The strug-
gle between these groups involved such luminaries as Dante and Machiavelli,
both of whom were exiled from their hometowns for supporting the wrong team.
The second major internal disruption of the period came from the Black
Death of 1348. Fleas carrying the Bubonic Plague bacteria arrived on the backs
of rats riding trade ships from Asia. Between a third and half of the population of
Italy died during a 6-month period. Crowded cities with little sanitation suffered
the worst, and many never fully recovered. Venice, Siena, San Gimignano, and
Orvieto are among those almost frozen in time, with their 14th-century art and
architecture (which is what makes them a boon for tourists).
