A-Z ITALY
How much do you know about Italy and famous Italians?
Amalfi (pop. 6,052), a picturesque Italian town on a headland, overlooks
the Gulf of Salerno.
A cathedral dating from 1204 and an old Capuchin monastery, now used as a hotel, are the chief points of interest. Amalfi's main industries include fishing and the making of macaroni. Many tourists enjoy the city's magnificent views of the sea. Amalfi was a leading commercial and naval power in the Middle Ages. |
Ambrose, Saint (340?-397), was a bishop of Milan and one of the most
influential persons of his time. As bishop, he acted as an adviser for
three Roman emperors and defended the freedom of the church from
government interference.
Ambrose preached widely. He also wrote essays promoting Christian ethics and upholding the ideal of virginity. In Concerning Faith (377), Ambrose defended the belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ against the ideas of the Arians, who believed only God the Father was completely divine. Ambrose also helped defeat an attempt to regain government approval of the ancient Roman religion. Historians believe that Ambrose popularized the practice of singing hymns in church. His sermons and piety inspired Saint Augustine to convert to Christianity. Ambrose baptized Augustine in 387. Ambrose was born in what is now Trier, in western Germany. He pursued a career as a lawyer and provincial governor until the people of Milan chose him as bishop in 374. His feast day is December 7. |
Andreotti, Giulio (1919 -...) was prime minister of Italy seven times between 1972 and 1992.
Giulio Andreotti was born on Jan. 14, 1919 in Rome. He took a law degree at Rome University in 1941 and in 1946 was elected to the Constituent Assembly, which drafted Italy's first republican constitution. In 1948, he was elected to the new National Assembly as a Christian Democrat. The Christian Democratic Party, founded in 1942, was a centre-right party supported by the Roman Catholic church. From 1947 to 1972, Andreotti held a number of ministerial posts, including responsibility for finance, treasury, and defence. He served as prime minister in various coalition governments from 1972 to 1973, and again from 1976 to 1979. For six years beginning in 1983 he served as foreign minister before returning to power as prime minister from 1989 to 1992. In May 1993, Andreotti was charged with having alleged links with the Mafia. He was also charged with involvement in the murder of a journalist in 1979. |