Italy

Famous Italian People: Italian Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

There is a category of people who changed the past, shaped the modern world and build the future! They are the greatest achievers and the most influential people worldwide. There are many Italian celebrities, writers and philosophers, singers and actors, world famous composers, politicians, who made a great contribution to the development of our civilization. We are happy to present to you some aspects of a culture rich in diversity.

:: List of Famous People from Italy ::

Enzo Ferrari

The sacred monster of the motoring world! Enzo Ferrar, also called “The Commendatore” was a famous Italian car driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team and of the Ferrari car manufacturer.

Under the leadership of “The Commendatore” (1947-88) Ferrari won over 5000 races all over the world and earned 25 world titles. Moreover, the most important achievements have been 9 Formula 1 Drivers’ World titles, 8 Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championships, 14 Manufactures’ World titles, 9 wins at Le Mans 24 Hours race, 8 at the Mille Miglia, 7 at the Targa Florio.

Of all the sport cars in the world, no one is more famous than Ferrari. “The Commendatore” was a man who had exceptional intuitive capacities, he created not only a precious object, a niche item, but a status symbol, social phenomena and a culture with mythical values. This passionate genius devoted his life to engineering excellence for the sake of winning races and creating the ultimate performance cars. It seems that the Ferrari quality standard will remain unsurpassed.

Enrico Fermi

Nobel laureate (1938) and scientific luminary Enrico Fermi (September, 1901- November,1954) was an Italian pioneering nuclear physicist whose works on the development of the first nuclear reactor, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics were numerous, profound, and lasting. He is being considered one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. There was created in 1952 also a synthetic element which was named after him: Fermium. Enrico Fermi, a modern Renaissance man!

Leonardo Da Vinci

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”

Leonardo Da Vinci is the archetypal Renaissance Man representing the humanistic values of that period in his art, science and writing. He is celebrated as the most diversely talented person ever to have lived! He was more than an artist, he was an Italian polymath, a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, astronomer and writer. His insatiable curiosity and intuitive sense were beyond any limits! Works like Mona Lisa and The Supper occupy unique positions being considered the most famous and the most reproduced. Leonardo’s drawings, which reveal his brilliant draftsmanship and his mastery of the anatomy of humans, animals, and plant life, may be found in the principal European collections.

Leonardo once said that “things of the mind left untested by the senses are useless.” And he left little untested. The first parachute had been imagined and sketched by Leonardo Da Vinci, he invented different kind of products, from armored tanks to helicopters, scissors and automated bobbin winder and many others. He towered above all his contemporaries. Da Vinci remains one of the most fascinating people history has ever known!

Cristopher Columbus

Also called the Admiral of the Ocean Sea, Columbus (1451 – 1506) remains a disputable figure who has been variously characterized as one of the greatest mariners in history, a visionary genius, a hero, colonizer, a naive entrepreneur, greedy imperialist whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents. His initial goal was to find a westward sea passage towards the Orient. He initiated the process of Spanish colonization, process which was later followed by the European colonization.

Carla Bruni

Born in Turin, Carla is a famous former supermodel, songwriter, singer and her fame increased even more after becoming the First Lady of France. The actual wife of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy was among the 20 highest-paid fashion models. She collaborated with designers and fashion houses such as Dior, Givenchy, Paco Rabanne, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Chanel and Versace. The charming model appeared on the covers of various international magazines, among them: Elle, Glamour, Vogue, Max and many others.

Alessandro Volta

Can you imagine your life without batteries or electricity? The Italian physicist (1745-1827) is worldwide known for the development of the first electric cell, back in the 1800’s. He discovered the first practical method for generate electricity. Constructed of alternating discs of zinc and copper, with pieces of cardboard soaked in brine between the metals, the voltic pile produced electrical current. The metallic conducting arc carried the electricity over a greater distance. Alessandro Volta’s voltaic pile was the first battery that produced a reliable, steady current of electricity and these facts make him a pioneer in the field of electricity. Named after Alessandro Volta:

1.Volt: The unit of electromotive force, or difference of potential, which will cause a current of one ampere to flow through a resistance of one ohm.
2. Photovoltaic: Photovoltaic are systems that convert light energy into electricity.

Andrea Bocelli

If God had a singing voice, he would sound like Andrea Bocelli! Andrea Bocelli, also called “the fourth tenor”, was a disciple of Luciano Pavarotti and Zucchero Fornaciari. The blind, Tuscany-born vocalist has emerged as one of the most magnificent voices in contemporary opera. With his enchanting diction and dramatic style, Andrea Bocelli offers an one of a kind experience to the listener. Words fail me to describe his unique voice and his talent. The list of his awards seems to be endless: five Grammy Awards, one American Music Award, four Classical Brit Awards, four World Music Awards and many others. He has recorded seven complete operas (La bohème, Tosca, Il trovatore, Werther, Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana and Carmen)

Giacomo Casanova

Italy certainly has a reputation for romance! And who can be called “the world’s greatest lover” if not an Italian? Giacomo Casanova de Seingalt (1725 – 1798) was a Venetian adventurer and writer. Famous as a veritable womanizer, his name remains synonymous with the art of seduction. His main book Histoire de ma vie (Story of My Life) is regarded as an intimate portrait of the manners and European social life in the 18th century.

Silvio Berlusconi

Berlusconi is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, real estate and insurance tycoon, bank and media proprietor, sports team owner and songwriter. He is the third longest-serving Prime Minister of the Italian Republic (1994-2008). He is also considered Italy’s wealthiest man and media proprietor. He is the main shareholder at Fininvest which controls the public television. He has been also the president of the famous football team AC Milan.

Dante Alighieri

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of geat moral crises maintain their neutrality”

“Il sommo Poeta”, “The Supreme poet” or “The father of the Italian language” are references to the one and only Durante degli Alighieri, (1265 – September 14, 1321), commonly known as Dante, the Florentine poet of Middle Ages. His magnum opus, the epic poem Divina Commedia is considered a masterpiece of world literature. More than a talented poet, he was also a politician, a statesman, a philosopher, a noble, an exile, and a theologian. The 14th century had four immortal writers: Dante, Chaucer, Petrarca, and Boccaccio. Alighieri is not only Italy’s preeminent poet, but one of the world’s greatest poets as well as a brilliantly argued, and along with Shakespeare he embodies one of the towering figures of Western literature.

Giorgio Armani

Italy with its unique sense of style and fashion has long led the development and revolution of haute couture. Well-known for defining trends and setting couture standards, the glamorous world of fashion is incomplete without mentioning the name of the Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani. In 2006, Forbes once again named Giorgio Armani the most successful Italian designer an annual turnover of $1.691 billion, and a personal fortune of $5 billion. He is particularly known for his stylish suits worn by top Hollywood actors such as Mel Gibson or Richard Gere. His name is synonym with sophisticated and elegant fashion.

The legendary Armani is more than a fashion trendsetter, he is also an innovator. “Armani was the first designer to ban models with a body mass index (BMI) under 18. In January 2007 Armani became the first designer to broadcast a haute couture fashion show live on the Internet. Armani teamed up with Samsung to make the Giorgio Armani cell phone similar to the LG Prada” At 74, Armani is still one of the most active fashion designers the world has ever seen and his business empire includes lines of jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and eyewear will continue to be the same or even more spectacularly successful.