So, over the years perhaps my greatest pleasure in interacting with you, my dear listener, has been the times someone has been to Italy and stopped off to see me. Actually, my star actress Lucy believes they probably come to see her, but that's part of the family debate.Anyway, I ...Show more
A History of archeology
Episode SummaryForget the whip and the fedora — the real story of archaeology is a 500-year glow-up from rich-guy hobbyism to laser-equipped aircraft revealing lost cities. In this episode, we trace how archaeology (from the Greek for "study of the past") evolved from Renaissance ...Show more
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss The Battle of Lepanto, 1571, the last great sea battle between galleys, in which the Catholic fleet of the Holy League of principally Venice, Spain, the Papal States, Malta, Genoa, and Savoy defeated the Ottoman forces of Selim II. When much of Eur ...Show more
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the remarkable rise of Venice in the eastern Mediterranean. Unlike other Italian cities of the early medieval period, Venice had not been settled during the Roman Empire. Rather, it was a refuge for those fleeing unrest after the fall of Rome who s ...Show more
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the remarkable rise of Venice in the eastern Mediterranean. Unlike other Italian cities of the early medieval period, Venice had not been settled during the Roman Empire. Rather, it was a refuge for those fleeing unrest after the fall of Rome who s ...Show more
We meet some of the leaders of the Army of Italy. The First Italian Campaign begins in dramatic fashion, with two weeks of lightning battles at Montenotte, Millesimo, Dego, Ceva, and Mondovì. Napoleon negotiates with Piedmont, and worries about looting, and about his wife. Learn ...Show more