Top 30 most famous Italians ever and why they are popular
Italy is a country in Southern Europe. It is known for its architectural designs, vibrant cultural heritage, and art and inventions from the time of the Romans. The nation is also known to be the home of influential figures, including legendary musicians, politicians, and scientists. This article lists the most famous Italians and explains why they are popular.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Most famous Italians ever
- 30. Valentino Rossi
- 29. Giorgia Meloni
- 28. Alessandro Volta
- 27. Giovani Bellini
- 26. Rudolph Valentino
- 25. Guglielmo Marconi
- 24. Giorgio Morandi
- 23. Galileo Galilei
- 22. Samantha Cristoforetti
- 21. Nadia Santini
- 20. Enzo Ferrari
- 19. Giuseppe Verdi
- 18. Amerigo Vespucci
- 17. Julius Caesar
- 16. Michelangelo
- 15. Pope Paul IV
- 14. Giuseppe Conte
- 13. Anna Magnani
- 12. Giacomo Casanova
- 11. Enrico Caruso
- 10. Monica Bellucci
- 9. Niccolo Machiavelli
- 8. Carlo Collodi
- 7. Matteo Renzi
- 6. Enrico Fermi
- 5. Maria Montessori
- 4. Antonio Vivaldi
- 3. Christopher Columbus
- 2. Leonardo da Vinci
- 1. Marco Polo
- Who is the most famous Italian influencer today?
- Who is Italy's most famous person?
- Who is the most influential person in Italian history?
- Who is a famous person born in Italy?
- Who is the most famous Italian hero?
Many famous Italians have ensured the country they hail from has a rich legacy. We analysed credible sources from across the web, such as Italia Plus, Your Guide To Italy, World Voyage, and many others, to bring you a list of the most famous Italians, whether they have passed or are still alive. They are ranked according to their connection to Italy through residence, legal status, historical influence, or cultural impact.
Most famous Italians ever
Famous people from Italy have influenced culture, politics, science, and art. They have made significant contributions to humankind, especially in science. Most of them are deceased, but they are remembered for their outstanding contributions and impact on the world. Below is a list of famous Italian people.
| Ranking | Name | Occupation |
| 30 | Valentino Rossi | Race car driver |
| 29 | Giorgia Meloni | Politician, journalist |
| 28 | Alessandro Volta | Physicist, chemist |
| 27 | Giovani Bellini | Painter |
| 26 | Rudolph Valentino | Actor |
| 25 | Guglielmo Marconi | Physicist, politician, electrical engineer |
| 24 | Giorgio Morandi | Painter, graphic artist |
| 23 | Galileo Galilei | Polymath |
| 22 | Samantha Cristoforetti | Astronaut |
| 21 | Nadia Santini | Chef |
| 20 | Enzo Ferrari | Italian motorsport racing driver, entrepreneur |
| 19 | Giuseppe Verdi | Composer |
| 18 | Amerigo Vespucci | Explorer, navigator |
| 17 | Julius Caesar | Roman general and statesman |
| 16 | Michelangelo | Sculptor, painter |
| 15 | Pope Paul IV | Counter-reformation pope |
| 14 | Giuseppe Conte | Jurist and politician |
| 13 | Anna Magnani | Actress |
| 12 | Giacomo Casanova | Adventurer and author |
| 11 | Enrico Caruso | Opera singer |
| 10 | Monica Bellucci | Actress, model |
| 9 | Niccolo Machiavelli | Diplomat and author |
| 8 | Carlo Collodi | Author |
| 7 | Matteo Renzi | Politician |
| 6 | Enrico Fermi | Physicist |
| 5 | Maria Montessori | Physician and educator |
| 4 | Antonio Vivaldi | Composer, violinist |
| 3 | Christopher Columbus | Explore and navigator |
| 2 | Leonardo da Vinci | Polymath, painter, engineer, scientist, sculptor |
| 1 | Marco Polo | Venetian merchant and explorer |
30. Valentino Rossi
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Valentino Rossi
- Date of birth: 16 February 1979
- Age: 45 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Urbino, Italy
- Occupation: Race car driver
Valentino Rossi is an Italian celebrity. He is an Italian race car driver and former motorcycle racer. He won his seventh MotoGP World Championship in 2009 and the 125cc World Championship in 1977. Valentino broke an international record between 2000 and 2010 by making 170 consecutive starts.
29. Giorgia Meloni
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Giorgia Meloni
- Date of birth: 15 January 1977
- Age: 47 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Rome, Italy
- Occupation: Politician, journalist
Giorgia Meloni is among the most famous celebrities from Italy. She is known as the leader and co-founder of the Italian national conservative party, Brothers of Italy. According to NPR, she was the first female prime minister of Italy.
28. Alessandro Volta
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Alessandro Guiseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta
- Date of birth: 18 February 1745
- Date of death: 5 March 1827
- Place of birth: Como, Italy
- Occupation: Physicist, chemist
Alessandro Volta was a famous physicist and chemist known as the pioneer of electricity and power. Between 1776 and 1778, he discovered methane while studying marsh gas from Lake Maggiore. His discovery of the electric battery provided a reliable source of electric current.
27. Giovani Bellini
- Full name: Giovani Bellini
- Date of birth: 1430
- Date of death: 25 November 1516
- Place of birth: Republic of Venice
- Occupation: Painter
Giovani Bellini pioneered the portrayal of natural light in his paintings. He is also known for painting the portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan. He used natural light in paintings such as the Agony in the Garden. He died in 1516 at Veneto, Italy.
26. Rudolph Valentino
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Rudolph Valentino
- Date of birth: 6 May 1895
- Date of death: 23 August 1926
- Place of birth: Castellaneta, Italy
- Occupation: Actor
Rudolph Valentino was one of the famous Italian actors of the 1920s. He starred in films such as A Sainted Devil, The Conquering Power, and The Season of the Sheik. According to IMDb, he won accolades such as Photoplay and Walk of Fame awards.
25. Guglielmo Marconi
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi
- Date of birth: 25 April 1874
- Date of death: 20 July 1937
- Place of birth: Palazzo Marescalchi, Bologna, Italy
- Occupation: Physicist, politician, electrical engineer
Guglielmo Marconi is a former senator of the Kingdom of Italy. He is a physicist known for creating radio wave-based wireless telegraph systems. Palazzo founded The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company in Britain in 1897. He won the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics.
24. Giorgio Morandi
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Giorgio Morandi
- Date of birth: 20 July 1890
- Date of death: 18 June 1964
- Place of birth: Bologna, Italy
- Occupation: Painter, graphic artist
Giorgio Morandi is famous for his still-life paintings of vases, bowls, flowers, landscapes and bottles. He studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna. Giorgio Morandi died in June 1964 at the age of 73.
23. Galileo Galilei
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei
- Date of birth: 16 February 1564
- Date of death: 8 January 1642
- Place of birth: Duchy of Florence, Italy
- Occupation: Polymath
Galileo is known as the Father of Science for his contributions to astronomy, cosmology, and physics. He invented the thermoscope, a precursor to the thermometer. Galileo Galilei's discoveries include telescopic observations of the mountain on the moon, the moon of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, and the phases of Venus.
22. Samantha Cristoforetti
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Samantha Cristoforetti OMRI
- Date of birth: 26 April 1977
- Age: 47 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Milan, Italy
- Occupation: Astronaut
Samantha Cristoforetti is an Italian astronaut, former air pilot, and engineer known for supporting numerous European and international experiments in orbit. Outpost42 states she was the first Italian woman to be sent into space by ESA and beat the ESA astronaut single-duration record in 2015.
21. Nadia Santini
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Nadia Santini
- Date of birth: 1953
- Age: 71 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Italy
- Occupation: Chef
The chef from Italy is also among the famous Italians. She is known for her restaurant, Dal Pescatore, which has held three Micheline stars since 1996. She learned how to cook from her future mother-in-law. Nadia Santini was awarded Best Female Chef in 2013.
20. Enzo Ferrari
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe
- Date of birth: 18 February 1898
- Date of death: 14 August 1988
- Place of birth: Modena, Italy
- Occupation: Italian motorsport racing driver, entrepreneur
Enzo Ferrari was an entrepreneur and motor racing driver known as the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team. Enzo Ferrari is also the founder of the Ferrari car company. He founded the company after Alfa Romeo withdrew sponsorship of his team.
19. Giuseppe Verdi
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi
- Date of birth: 10 October 1813
- Date of death: 27 January 1901
- Place of birth: Le Roncole, Italy
- Occupation: Composer
Giuseppe is famous as an Italian composer and is known for his operas. He gained recognition for his operas, Rigoletto, Nabucco and Aida. According to Classicfm.com, Giuseppe is considered one of the best opera composers of all time. His other operas include Oberto and Un giorno di regno.
18. Amerigo Vespucci
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Amerigo Vespucci
- Date of birth: 9 March 1454
- Date of death: 22 February 1512
- Place of birth: Florence, Italy
- Occupation: Explorer, navigator
Amerigo Vespucci was among the most famous explorers and navigators whom America was named after. America is a Latinised version of his first name 'Americus.' Amerigo is known for participating in at least two voyages of the Age of Discovery between 1497 and 1504. He was the first to identify the Americas as a separate continent.
17. Julius Caesar
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Gaius Caesar
- Date of birth: July 100 BC
- Date of death: 15 March 44 BC
- Place of birth: Suburra, Italy
- Occupation: Roman general and statesman
Caesar was a Roman general and statesman who led the transformation of Rome into an empire in the 50s BC. He is known for his series of social and political reforms in Rome. Julius Caesar died on 15 March 44 BC after about 40 Roman senators assassinated him.
16. Michelangelo
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
- Date of birth: 6 March 1475
- Date of death: 18 Feb 1564
- Place of birth: caprese, Italy
- Occupation: Sculptor, painter
Michelangelo was a famous sculptor and painter known for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which took four years to complete. He started painting in 1508 until 1512. His famous early works include the Pieta and David, which he sculpted before age 30.
15. Pope Paul IV
Source: Getty Images
- Real name: Gian Pietro Carafa
- Date of birth: 28 June 1476
- Date of death: 18 August 1559
- Place of birth: Capriglia Irpina, Italy
- Occupation: Counter-reformation pope
Pope Paul IV is widely known as the former head of the Catholic Church. He served as the ruler of papal states from 1555 to 1559. Pope Paul IV is also remembered for his anti-Spanish policy, which renewed the war between France and the Habsburgs.
14. Giuseppe Conte
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Giuseppe Conte
- Date of birth: 8 August 1964
- Age: 60 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Volturara Appula, Italy
- Occupation: Jurist and politician
Giuseppe Conte is a famous politician known as the 58th prime minister of Italy. He took office as a prime minister from 2018 to 2021. Giuseppe has been the president of the Five Star Movement since August 2021. He earned a law degree from La Sapienza University in 1988.
13. Anna Magnani
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Anna Maria Magnani
- Date of birth: 7 March 1908
- Date of death: 26 September 1973
- Place of birth: Rome, Italy
- Occupation: Actress
Anna Maria Magnani was a famous actress who portrayed the roles of working-class women. The actress has played notable roles in films such as The Secret of Santa Vittoria, Mamma Roma, and The Fugitive Kind. Her portrayal of Serafina Delle Rose in the 1955 film The Rose Tattoo earned her an Academy Award.
12. Giacomo Casanova
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Giacomo Girolamo Casanova
- Date of birth: 2 April 1725
- Date of death: 4 June 1798
- Place of birth: Venice, Italy
- Occupation: Adventurer and author
Giacomo Casanova cannot go unnoticed as one of the important people in Italy. He is known for his autobiography Histoire de ma vie ( Story of My Life). He is also known for his reputation as a famous lover in history. His complicated love affairs with women inspired the term 'Casanova.'
11. Enrico Caruso
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Enrico Caruso
- Date of birth: 25 February 1873
- Date of death: 2 August 1921
- Place of birth: Naples, Italy
- Occupation: Opera singer
Enrico is an Italian opera singer who sang at famous European and American opera houses. The renowned singer is the most admired Italian operatic tenor of the early 20th century. He released 290 recordings from 1902 to 1920 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1987.
10. Monica Bellucci
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Monica Anna Maria Bellucci
- Date of birth: 30 September 1964
- Age: 60 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Citta di Castello, Italy
- Occupation: Actress, model
Bellucci is an Italian actress whose career began as a fashion model. She has appeared in films including The Apartment, The Passion of the Christ, and Tears of the Sun. She has won awards, including the David di Donatello and Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists awards.
9. Niccolo Machiavelli
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli
- Date of birth: 3 May 1469
- Date of death: 21 June 1527
- Place of birth: Florence, Italy
- Occupation: Diplomat and author
He was a diplomat and author famous for writing a political treatise, The Prince, in early 1500, published in 1532. He also wrote carnival songs, poetry, and comedies. Niccolo was secretary to the second chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 until 1512.
8. Carlo Collodi
Source: Facebook
- Full name: Carlo Lorenzini Collodi
- Date of birth: 24 November 1826
- Date of death: 26 October 1890
- Place of birth: Florence, Italy
- Occupation: Author
Carlo Collodi was an Italian author, humourist, and journalist. He is widely known for his fairy tale novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. The Classic Disney musical fantasy film Pinocchio, which is about a puppet with a long nose that grows when he lies, is based on this novel.
7. Matteo Renzi
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Matteo Renzi
- Date of birth: 11 January 1975
- Age: 50 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Rome, Italy
- Occupation: Politician
Matteo Renzi is a popular Italian politician known for serving as the 56th Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. The politician also served as the president of Florence Province from 2004 to 2009. In 2024, he joined the Tony Blair Institute as a Strategic Councillor.
6. Enrico Fermi
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Enrico Fernando Fermi
- Date of birth: 29 September 1901
- Date of death: 28 November 1954
- Place of birth: Rome, Italy
- Occupation: Physicist
He was a great physicist known for creating the first artificial nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1. Due to his inventions, he earned the names 'architect of the atomic bomb' and 'architect of the nuclear age'. In 1938, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on induced radioactivity.
5. Maria Montessori
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Maria Tecla Artemisi Montessori
- Date of birth: 31 August 1870
- Date of death: 6 May 1952
- Place of birth: Chiaravalle, Italy
- Occupation: Physician and educator
She is one of the famous Italian women remembered for her contribution to education. She created the Montessori method of teaching based on self-directed activity and collaborative play. Her education method was wisely published internationally and is still practised worldwide.
4. Antonio Vivaldi
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Antonio Lucio Vivaldi
- Date of birth: 4 March 1678
- Date of death: 28 July 1741
- Place of birth: Venice, Italy
- Occupation: Composer, violinist
The famous violinist and composer is recognised for composing many instrumental concertos for the violin and other instruments. He wrote The Four Seasons violin concertos, based on a set of Italian sonnets. He is also known for his discovery of operas.
3. Christopher Columbus
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Christopher Columbus
- Date of birth: 1451
- Date of death: 20 May 1506
- Place of birth: Genoa, Italy
- Occupation: Explorer and navigator
Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer and navigator, is also among the famous Italian men. He completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, which opened the exploration of European exploitation and colonisation of the Americas.
2. Leonardo da Vinci
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Leonardo da Vinci
- Date of birth: 15 April 1452
- Date of death: 2 May 1519
- Place of birth: Anchiano, Italy
- Occupation: Polymath, painter, engineer, scientist, sculptor
Leonardo da Vinci, known for the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, made significant discoveries in anatomy, such as the spine and heart. He is also among the famous engineers who reshaped the world with innovations like concentrated solar power and tanks.
1. Marco Polo
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Marco Polo
- Date of birth: 15 September 1254
- Date of death: 8 January 1324
- Place of birth: Venice, Italy
- Occupation: Venetian merchant and explorer
Marco Polo is one of the Italian historical figures whose contributions to Italy are and will always be remembered. He is famous as an explorer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. He described his adventures in his books, including The Travels of Marco Polo and The Customs of the Kingdoms of India.
Who is the most famous Italian influencer today?
Chiara Ferragni is the most famous Italian influencer. She is among the most followed people on social media. She has over 27 million followers on her Instagram account and over 6.5 million on TikTok.
Who is Italy's most famous person?
Italy has many famous people who have contributed significantly to science, physics, politics, entertainment, and sports. According to World Voyage, famous Italian personalities include Marco Polo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Maria Montessori.
Who is the most influential person in Italian history?
As per Italia Plus, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Alessandro Volta, and Giuseppe Verdi are widely regarded the most famous personalities in Italian history.
Who is a famous person born in Italy?
Enrico Fermi is a famous person who was born in Italy. He was born in Rome, Italy, but spent most of his lifetime in the United States of America. He had both American and Italian nationalities.
Who is the most famous Italian hero?
The most famous Italian hero is Giuseppe Garibaldi. He was a general and Republican famous for fighting for Italian unity and taking the power to unite northern and southern Italy singlehandedly.
The most famous Italians include remarkable men and women who have made significant contributions to science, politics, entertainment, sports, and physics. Many were pioneers whose work is practised worldwide. Though some have passed away, their names and legacy ensure they will never be forgotten in Italian history.
READ ALSO: The highest IQ ever recorded: Top smartest people of all time
Briefly.co.za wrote a listicle about the people with the highest IQ ever recorded. In both present and past, they have made immense contributions to their fields of expertise, mostly science.
The first person that comes to mind is Einstein. After him, there have been several bright minds who have come close and even superseded his genius. Discover who is on the list.
Source: Briefly News
