Arrivederci Roma Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gigliola Cinquetti

Gigliola Cinquetti gave Italy its first ever Eurovision win in 1964 when she was just 16. Her song, "Non ho l'eta" became an international hit. In 1974 she represented Italy in Eurovision again with "Si", which came second to Abba singing "Waterloo".

Her appearance in 1974 was censored by Italy because it coincided with a referendum campaign on divorce. As the title "Si", which means yes, was repeated several times during the song there were concerns that it could influence the vote. In the 1990s she went on to become a TV presenter and journalist, hosting current affairs programmes on RAI TV in Italy.

Answer: Casanova

Casanova, full name Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt, was an adventurer and author from Venice. Based on the tales told by himself in his life story his name has become synonymous with seduction. He had a varied career. Armed with a law degree he did practice law for a short time.

He also once entered a seminary, joined the army and became a professional gambler. Imprisoned in Italy for "immorality" he escaped and fled to Paris. Here he became a spy. He ended his days in Bohemia where he acted as librarian for Count Waldstein, and it was during this period that he wrote his memoirs.

Answer: Pliny the Younger

Pliny the Younger (61 AD - ca.112 AD), a Roman senator and the governor of Bithynia-Pontus, was one of the most well known of the Romans; firstly because there was an inscription detailing his life; also because two of his houses have been found; most importantly because we can read many letters that he wrote.

The one that is best known by the general public is that in which he described the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Others are also very revealing of life in that era, as when he described his house, gave accounts of law suits and told of the persecution of the Christians.

Answer: Enrico Fermi

Enrico Fermi (1901 -1954) was one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century. His brilliance was recognised at a young age and he began his graduate work at the age of seventeen. While doing research at the University of Rome he was part of a team that was trying to split the atom.

He made two discoveries, using neutrons for this purpose, which earned him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1938. After he moved to America in 1939, he realised that when the nucleus of an atom was split the neutrons thrown off would cause another atom to split and so on, leading to a nuclear chain reaction.

It was the enormous energy released that enabled the atomic bomb to be developed. While he worked on the Manhattan Project which developed the first atomic bombs after the war he opposed further research into nuclear weapons.

Answer: Caravaggio

Caravaggio (1573-1610) revolutionised painting in his time. Before then painted images had been idealised but his work was realistic, even brutally so. He was apprenticed to a painter in Milan at the age of 11 but by 1588 he had shifted to Rome and in 1595 began to sell his own works.

This brought him to the attention of Cardinal Francesco del Monte, who helped him to get a commission to paint the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi. Although many deplored his dramatic style his reputation increased and he was acknowledged as a great artist.

His private life was less satisfactory and he was often in trouble with the authorities. He was often involved in fights and was once accused of murder and had to flee to Malta. Although fearful and stressed, the paintings he did at that time were his among his best. Eventually he was given a pardon by the Pope but died before he could return to Rome.

Answer: Lucrezia Borgia

Illegitimate daughter of Venetian, Rodrigo Borgia, Lucrezia was married three times, each for political purposes. Her father became Pope Alexander VI and her name has become a byword for the political machinations and corruptness that characterised his Papacy. The whole Borgia family were reputed to be skilled in the use of poisons.

Answer: Sophia Loren

Born in Pozzuoli in 1934, Sophia Loren has won many awards for film acting, including an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
In 2007 Sophia posed for the Pirelli Calendar and became its oldest ever model.
She was married to the film producer Carlo Ponti until his death in 2007, and they had two sons together.
In old age she remained a stunningly beautiful woman.

Answer: Galileo Galilei

Born in Pisa in 1564, in 1615 Galileo fell foul of the Inquisition for his championing of heliocentricity. Tried for heresy and forced to recant, he spent the rest of his life under house arrest. He spent the time usefully however, and produced some of his greatest works during that time.
The improvements he made to the telescope enabled him to see the moons of Jupiter, which are now known as the 'Galilean Moons' in his honour.

Answer: Vivaldi

Antoni Vivaldi was a composer and a priest. His red hair led to him being given the nickname "The Red Priest". He is known mainly for violin concertos, although he also wrote choral works and over 40 operas. His best known and most popular work is the series of violin concertos known as "The Four Seasons"

Answer: Brutus

In Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar", Mark Antony describes Brutus as "the noblest Roman of them all". He says this during his oration to Caesar with Caesar's body laying at his feet. In real life Marcus Junius Brutus was a politician who took part in the killing of Julius Caesar.

Despite an amnesty being declared by the Senate, Brutus and his co-conspirators were forced to flee Rome because of public outcry, and he settled in Crete. He committed suicide in 41BC after defeat at the second battle of Phillipi.