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Trenck, Franz, Freiherr von der

(Encyclopedia)Trenck, Franz, Freiherr von der fränts frīˈhĕr fən dĕr trĕngk [key], 1711–49, Austrian officer and adventurer, b. Reggio di Calabria, Italy. A daring soldier known for his duels and love affa...

Rhegium

(Encyclopedia)Rhegium rēˈjēəm [key], ancient city, S Italy, on the Strait of Messina. It is the modern Reggio di Calabria. Founded (c.720 b.c.) as a colony of Chalcis, many Messenians later settled there. It wa...

Ferrante, Elena

(Encyclopedia)Ferrante, Elena, pseud. of the contemporary writer often considered the finest Italian novelist of her generation; the details of her personal life are a closely guarded secret. Her novels, the first ...

Wittkower, Rudolf

(Encyclopedia)Wittkower, Rudolf wĭtˈkōv-ər, Ger. vĭtˈkōv-ər [key], 1901–71, German-American art historian. After gaining his doctorate in Berlin, Wittkower became a research assistant and later research f...

Gozzi, Gasparo

(Encyclopedia)Gozzi, Gasparo gôtˈtsē [key], 1713–86, Italian critic and poet; brother of Carlo Gozzi. Struggling to support a large family, he wrote plays, stories, articles, and poems. He founded the literar...

Forlì

(Encyclopedia)Forlì fōrlēˈ [key], city, capital of Forlì prov., Emilia-Romagna, N central Italy. It is...

Capuana, Luigi

(Encyclopedia)Capuana, Luigi lo͞oēˈjē käpwäˈnä [key], 1839–1915, Italian critic and novelist. His activities included teaching, scientific study, and politics. He wrote in almost every genre, but his repu...

Sanmicheli, Michele

(Encyclopedia)Sanmicheli, Michele mēkĕˈlā sänmēkĕˈlē [key], c.1484–1559, Italian architect and engineer. He was influenced by Bramante's works in Rome, and after 1527 worked primarily in Verona, where hi...

Como, Lake

(Encyclopedia)Como, Lake kōˈmō [key], Ital. Lago di Como or Lario, c.56 sq mi (145 sq km), 30 mi (48 km) long and from 1⁄2 to 21⁄2 mi (0.8–4 km) wide, in Lombardy, N Italy. Lake Como is a natural widening ...

Singer, Israel Joshua

(Encyclopedia)Singer, Israel Joshua, 1893–1944, Polish-American novelist and playwright who wrote in Yiddish, older brother of Isaac Bashevis Singer. Living variously in Poland and Russia, he earned a literary re...