Podcast
Welcome to The Italian Tales Podcast, a voyage through Italy’s past.
Fancy a story?
We will explore my country’s history with the help of hand-picked books, academic papers, and, with a bit of luck, first-hand accounts of the people who witnessed those events with their own eyes.
Welcome to the Italian Tales—a voyage through Italy’s past.
We will explore my country’s history with the help of hand-picked books, academic papers, and, with a bit of luck, first-hand accounts of the people who witnessed those events with their own eyes.
A quick disclaimer though: our journey won’t be a chronological one; instead, we’ll leap from one story to another, guided by my own research into Italy’s millennial past.
Our first series of episodes will tell the tale of the blood feuds between the Guelphs and Ghibellines in the marvellous medieval Florence. It’s a tale of bitter rivalries and shrewd politics, a tale that shaped the story of Tuscany for centuries but also set the stage for the glorious Italian Renaissance.
So, join me as we uncover the facts that have woven the fabric of Italy, one episode at a time.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In our previous episodes, we watched the meteoric rise of Manfred of Sicily, the ambitious son of Emperor Frederick II. By 1264, however, storm clouds gathered far from Sicily’s shores, heralding the arrival of Charles of Anjou, France’s fearsome prince chosen by the Papacy to topple Manfred’s reign.
Join me as we witness the dramatic climax: the shifting tides of war, accounts of heroism and horror, and the desperate struggle for supremacy between the Sicilian and Angevin forces, culminating in the brutal Battle of Benevento in February 1266.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
![009 – Manfred of Sicily [Part 3]](https://www.italiantales.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1750682542343-12e6716b-1f42-4b10-a468-aa59f45b9991-768x768.jpeg)