Anna Magnani was born in Rome on 7th March 1908.

Daughter of Marina Magnani, seamstress, and father unknown.

She grew up with her grandparents and aunts in a house between the Capitol and the Palatine Hill, living a peaceful childhood despite the distance from her mother who left her in their care to go to Alexandria with her new husband.

He became passionate about the piano, attending the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia for a while, where he studied as a concert pianist. Her encounter with acting, on the other hand, was entirely coincidental: she started at the ‘Eleonora Duse’ school of dramatic art, directed by Silvio d’Amico, in 1924 and was soon noticed and engaged in Dario Niccodemi’s company.

Between 1926 and 1932, after a period of apprenticeships, minor parts and very long tours, the fame and importance of his roles on stage began to grow. Following this period, he turned to the more popular and spontaneous avant-garde theatre, which was instrumental in his growth and artistic eclecticism.

Her relationship with Goffredo Alessandrini, director, whom she married in October 1935, also dates back to these years.

In the meantime, sound cinema opened its doors to her, but it was not until 1941 that she achieved her first big success, as the star of Teresa Venerdì under the direction of Vittorio De Sica. This was followed a few years later by winning his first Silver Ribbon in Roberto Rossellini’s Roma città aperta (1945), with whom he formed an intense artistic and private partnership.

The pinnacle of her worldwide fame came in 1956, when she was the first Italian female lead actress to win an Oscar, for her performance in Daniel Mann’s film La rosa tatutata (1955).

There were many other films in which he took part, among them Bellissima (1951) by Luchino Visconti, Saggio è il vento (1957) by George Cukor, Mamma Roma (1962) by Pierpaolo Pasolini and Roma (1972) by Federico Fellini.

Nannarella was an actress endowed with uncommon humanity and spontaneity: with her mimicry and particular somatic and verbal traits, she was able to embody both the deepest despair and the lightest hopes of the post-war period, which neo-realist cinema intended to portray, thus becoming an emblem.

He died in Rome, fifty years ago, on 26th September 1973.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1908

It should be noted that the deed presents the declaration of birth made by the mother alone, following her “natural union with an unmarried man, not related or kin to her in the degrees that preclude recognition”. It is no coincidence that the birthplace indicated is the maternity nursery at 126 Via Salaria, a place where pregnant women in difficulty or single mothers were protected and supported in giving birth to their children.

On the side is the chancellery note reporting the celebration of the marriage with Goffredo Alessandrini in Rome on 3rd October 1935.

The original is kept at the State Archives of Rome.

For more on the figure of Anna Magnani, see the entry in the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani edited by Giorgio Pangaro.

Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1908

Enrico Fermi was born in Rome on 29th September 1901.

From a very young age, he showed a marked propensity for algebra and physics. He then entered the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, where he was able to deepen his knowledge of these disciplines and make a name for himself among the most illustrious professors of the time.

Having completed his studies abroad, he obtained his first chair in theoretical physics in Rome, at the institute in via Panisperna, where he began the most fruitful period of his scientific activity at the head of the group of young men named after the street of the same name.

He became a renowned teacher whose lectures and teachings were widely successful, even in America where he opened several other schools, increasing his notoriety through his innovative methods.

The years between 1927 and 1938 were marked by intense research activity by the entire Roman group on issues of international interest.

In 1938, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Even today, the influence of his work and his profound cross-disciplinary knowledge of the discipline are recognised worldwide.

Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, he emigrated to the United States with his entire family. There, in Chicago, at the age of 53, he died on 29th November 1954.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1901

The original is kept at the State Archives of Rome

For more on the figure of Enrico Fermi, see the entry in the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani edited by Emilio Segrè.

Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1901

Pietro Giovanni Ferrero was born in Farigliano (CN) on 2nd September 1898.

The son of farmers in the Piedmont Langhe, he soon decided to open a pastry shop in Alba (CN) and to launch innovative but inexpensive confectionery products on the market that could be affordable for everyone.

After much experimentation, he came up with a soft hazelnut paste, much cheaper than chocolate, sold in the form of a loaf, easy to transport and designed to be spread on bread. This was an optimal idea for the needs of the many workers in those areas, who lived in poor economic conditions.

The hazelnut cream was so successful among the many workers in Alba that it gave a boost to the Ferrero small pastry shop, which was established as an industry in 1946.

The work of the Ferrero family and the fame of that spreadable cream – which a few years later would be perfected, becoming known worldwide as Nutella – grew exponentially in the years that followed.

Pietro Ferrero died in Alba on 2nd March 1949.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Cuneo > Stato civile italiano > Farigliano > 1898

The original is kept at the State Archives of Cuneo

Archivio di Stato di Cuneo > Stato civile italiano > Farigliano > 1898

Elsa Morante was born in Rome on 18th August 1912 to Francesco Lo Monaco and Irma Poggibonsi. However, she was recognised at the registry office by her mother’s husband, Augusto Morante, from whom she took her surname.

She began writing at a very young age, devoting herself to writing fairy tales and short stories, many of which were published posthumously.

She began writing from a very young age, devoting herself to writing fairy tales and short stories, many of which were published posthumously. In 1936, she met Alberto Moravia, with whom she began a tormented relationship, but which led them to the altar on 14th April 1941.

In 1943, the intensification of anti-Semitic repression led Morante and Moravia (who was Jewish) to flee Rome and take refuge in the south, towards Fondi, where they stayed for a few months, experiencing a reality that was to become decisive for both of them in the writing of some later works.

In 1943, the intensification of anti-Semitic repression led Morante and Moravia (who was Jewish) to flee Rome and take refuge in the south, towards Fondi, where they stayed for a few months, experiencing a reality that was to become decisive for both of them in the writing of some later works.

Back in Rome, in 1944, Morante published her first novel Menzogna e sortilegio (1948), which won her the “Premio Viareggio”.

In 1957, she was the first woman to be awarded the “Premio Strega” for her second novel, L’isola di Arturo.

Later, starting in 1971, she began work on the most famous of her novels, La storia, published by Einaudi in 1974: it was printed directly in a paperback edition at the author’s own wish, so that it would be accessible to everyone from the outset.

Over the next decade, he continued to devote himself tirelessly to literary and other activities, but his health declined steadily and inexorably.

She died in Rome on 25th November 1985. Her ashes were scattered in the sea of Procida.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1912

It is worth noting that her biological father, Francesco Lo Monaco, a clerk, appears in the birth certificate as one of the witnesses and as ‘godfather’ would be known to Elsa Morante until she was 14 years old.

In the margin, the deed also shows the chancellery note marking her marriage to Alberto Moravia, which took place on 14th April 1941.

A little further down, there is another annotation dated 30th May 1941 stating that Morante, although the daughter of a Jewish mother, ‘was recognised as not belonging to the Jewish race’.

The original is kept at the State Archives of Rome.

For more on the figure of Elsa Morante, see the entry in the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani edited by Nadia Setti.

Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1912

Curzio Malaparte, stage name Curt Erich Suckert, was born in Prato on June 9th 1898, to Erwin, a dyer of Saxon origin, and Eugenia Perelli.

Even as a child he showed a restless nature, which led him to develop a turbulent personality, tending to be in opposition, in malaparte, as he himself wished to emphasise with the name he took as an emblem of ‘a controversial and radically polemical identity’.

Prato was the city where his first intellectual training took place and where he began his literary activity, which declined at various levels and in various spheres, including – and in a very productive manner – journalism.

He fought in both World Wars. He also became an officer, but without detaching himself from his literary vocation. Rather, the experience of the war became a crucial event, which greatly influenced his person, fostering his approach – intellectual and active – to politics.

Talented and enterprising, he had a prolific and bilingual pen (he wrote, in fact, in both Italian and French): among his most famous essays are Viva Caporetto! (1921) and Italia barbara (1925), while his novels include Kaputt (1944) and La pelle (1949).

His multifaceted and articulate figure allowed him to read reality at a deep and complex level, making him one of the most emblematic characters of the 20th century.

He died in Rome on July 19th 1957.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Prato > Stato civile italiano > Prato > 1898

Note the note in the margin, written in pencil, stating that the name change from Curt Erich Suckert to Curzio Malaparte was approved by royal decree on April 15th 1937.

The original is kept at the State Archives of Prato

For more on the figure of Curzio Malaparte, see the entry in the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani edited by Marino Biondi.

Archivio di Stato di Prato > Stato civile italiano > Prato > 1898

Francesco Saverio De Sanctis was one of the most important literary critics of the 19th century.

Born in Morra Irpina (today Morra De Sanctis), in the province of Avellino, on March 28th 1817, as a child he was instilled with a keen interest in language and literature.

Over the years, thanks also to his early start in teaching and numerous exchanges with many of the most culturally prominent personalities of the time, he became one of the most celebrated authors and essayists of his time.

He was the first Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Italy, from 1861 to 1862.

He died in Naples on December 29th 1883.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Avellino > Stato civile della restaurazione > Morra (today Morra De Sanctis) > 1817

The original is kept at the State Archives of Avellino

For more on the figure of Francesco De Sanctis, see the entry in the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani edited by Attilio Marinari.

Archivio di Stato di Avellino > Stato civile della restaurazione > Morra (today Morra De Sanctis) > 1817

“Sora Lella”, whose real name is Elena Fabbrizi, was an Italian actress, a symbol of genuine, straightforward, typically Roman comedy. She was born in Rome on June 17th 1915.

Before her film career, she devoted herself to working as a restaurateur, and only around the age of forty did she take her first steps into the world of the silver screen, following in the footsteps of her brother Aldo, acting with big names such as Totò, Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Mario Monicelli and others.

The real success, however, came around the 1980s, when it was strongly desired by Carlo Verdone in several of his films. Under her direction, she won a Silver Ribbon as ‘Best Newcomer Actress’ in 1981, for the film Bianco, rosso e verdone, and, in 1984, also the David di Donatello as ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for the film Acqua e Sapone.

She died in Rome on August 9th 1993.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1915

The original is kept at the State Archives of Rome.

Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1915

Giovanni Gentile, born in Castelvetrano (TR) on May 29th 1875, was a prominent figure in the cultural and political scene of the first half of the 20th century.

A philosopher and pedagogue, as well as for his numerous exchanges and debates with Benedetto Croce and other exponents of the erudite circles of the time, he is remembered for being one of the co-founders, together with Giovanni Treccani, of the Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana, approved as an institution of national purpose by Royal Decree Law no. 669 (for more details and to consult the Royal Decree: Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Raccolta ufficiale delle leggi e dei decreti (1861 – 2012), R.D.L. 24 giugno 1933 no. 669).

Gentile was also appointed Minister of Education in 1920-21 and during this term was the architect of the school reform that bears his name.

On May 9th 1901, he was united in marriage with Erminia Nudi from Campobasso.

He died in Florence on April 15th 1944.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Trapani > Stato civile italiano > Castelvetrano > Nati > 1875

The original is kept at the State Archives of Trapani.

You can consult the marriage certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Campobasso > Stato civile italiano > Campobasso > 1901

The original is kept at the State Archives of Campobasso.

For more on the figure of Giovanni Gentile, see the entry in the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani edited by Gennaro Sasso.

Archivio di Stato di Trapani > Stato civile italiano > Castelvetrano > Nati > 1875