Italian Inventions

The domed stone oven – forno a cupola in Italian – is one of those features that people who love cooking often dream of: it’s beautiful to look at, and it makes food taste better.  Lighting it takes time and …

Given the challenges faced by firefighters in Los Angeles while battling the ongoing wildfires, it seems both timely and fitting to honor their bravery, dedication, and commitment by looking into the origins of their profession, origins that have a very strong …

Tinned tuna is a pantry staple found in kitchens around the world, valued for its convenience, versatility, and nutritional benefits. Its invention can be traced back to the innovative efforts of the Florio family in Sicily, a name that has …

We all had pretzels at least once in our lives, but how many among us know they have Italian roots? Legend has it that pretzels, one of the world’s oldest baked snacks, originated in 7th-century Italy in the Aosta Valley, …

The invention of the modern coffee machine is credited to Angelo Moriondo, an Italian entrepreneur from Turin, who patented the first steam-powered device for brewing coffee in 1884. This revolutionary machine laid the foundation for the espresso machines we know today. …

The tradition of compiling comprehensive works of knowledge, known today as encyclopedias, finds its origins in ancient Rome. Roman scholars worked to systematically gather and document the breadth of human understanding, laying the foundation for an encyclopedic tradition that has …

No invention attracted and frightened humanity as much as electricity, and one of its earlier fathers, the Italian Alessandro Volta — whose invention of the electric battery in 1800 marked a turning point in the history of science and technology …

The arch is one of the most important architectural innovations in history, and while its basic concept may have existed in early civilizations, it was the Etruscans and, later, the Romans who perfected and popularized its use. This seemingly simple …

You know that faint image or pattern that appears when you hold an expensive sheet of paper up to the light? That’s a watermark, a centuries-old invention that started in Italy. Originally a way for papermakers to brand their work, …

The hydrofoil is a type of fast watercraft that rises above the water on wing-like foils as it gains speed, reducing drag and allowing for higher speeds. This innovative vessel was invented by Italian engineer Enrico Forlanini, whose work significantly …