Sometimes I ask myself why I spend so much time studying history, when this inevitably means spending thousands of hours reading about atrocities, tragedies and other depressing subjects. Here in the link are my reflections.
Here's a link to my latest YouTube video. These videos take a long time to create, but I hope you enjoy them.
2023-09-14 21:25:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's a little article I wrote about my experiences with Dan Carlin, and links to all the times we recorded something together.
2023-09-09 17:11:55 +0000 UTC View Post
You may have heard of Killers of the Flower Moon, a new movie by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Or, maybe you have heard of the best-selling book by David Grann, on which the movie is based. In this episode, I do a deep dive into the murders at the root of the story. Back in the late 1800s, the Osage tribe was kicked out of their homes and pushed onto a plot of poor land where few people wanted to live. But the Universe has a sense of humor. Fast-forw...
2023-09-04 17:56:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Following a recent conversation with Dan Carlin for his Hardcore History Addendum, this is the second episode I dedicate to archaeological discoveries that fascinate me. Today, we chat about Oetzi the Iceman, the Siberian Ice Maiden, tattoos, Kill Bill, a sweet Danish Burial from about 7,000 years ago, and much more.
2023-08-31 18:29:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's a short piece about a magical vacation I took with my father when I was 15 years old.
The last couple of days have been… interesting. It started with me getting a fever. Next was an earthquake (epicenter down the street from my house) that shattered lamps and knocked stuff off the walls. This was followed by about 20 aftershocks, all strong enough to shake the house. Then, we had a storm. Rain-wise it was a far cry from the flooding of a few months ago, but it still knocked out power and gas. Doesn’t look like we’ll get power back for at least 24 hours. So… yeah… not...
2023-08-21 19:19:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Fun chat with Ben Thompson on The Drunken Taoist Podcast. His website, Badass of the Week, has been incredibly fun to follow over the past couple of decades. His hilarious takes on history are worth reading and re-reading.
Just published a new (free) essay on Substack. I had fun weaving some highly unlikely elements together: Taoist Strategy, Homeric Heroes, and The Trojan Horse in El Salvador.
https://danielebolelli.substack.com/p/taoist-strategy-homeric-heroes-and
A recent conversation with Dan Carlin sent me down a rabbit-hole of research about archaeology. In this episode, I nerd out about the reasons for my fascination with archaeological discoveries and share with you a few good ones. Today, we chat about prehistoric arrowheads sitting on my nightstand, the oldest statue ever created, Paleolithic shamanism, ‘The Sorcerer’, moments frozen in times, haunting messages from the past, The Lord of the Rings, and much more.
2023-07-31 18:37:48 +0000 UTC View Post
I just read the news that the incredible Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor was found dead, after struggling with a lifetime of mental illness possibly caused by childhood abuse. She was only 56 years old. In her honor, I offer you something that I wrote about her about a decade ago and I just published on Substack.
2023-07-26 20:12:13 +0000 UTC View PostI'd love to ask for your opinion about something that's on my mind. Ever since I brought History on Fire out of Luminary, I have been releasing roughly two episodes a month (between new episodes and re-runs of previously paywalled episodes that most listeners never had access to). I always hear how the more you publish content, the more you will attract an audience but I'm getting the feeling that it may not be a good idea. Download numbers have drastically declined since I started doing this...
2023-07-24 17:39:28 +0000 UTC View PostAnd now for your viewing pleasure... I recently started a YouTube channel, and I'd love if you subscribed to it. It's free, so not such a bad deal :)
The first video is a shortened version of the Alexander mini-episode I sent you a few months back. The difference is there are visuals added, and it ends up being a sort of mini-documentary. If there's enough support for the YouTube channel, I'd love to keep creating more videos. Here's the first one for you:
I recently opened a Substack for the sake of having a newsletter that goes straight into people's email. The paid content will be the same as on Patreon, so you'll already have access on this platform. Of course, you are more than welcome to subscribe to the free newsletter. But in either case, just for the sake of making things easier for you, I'll publish here a link any time I write an essay or anything of that sort. Here's my second essay for Substack: I explore the incredible story arc i...
2023-07-14 18:56:09 +0000 UTC View PostIt has been a year since I brought History on Fire out of all paywalls, and I'm still in the process of trying to rebuild it. In an effort to reach new listeners, I'm branching out to create content related to the podcast for different platforms. So, in case you use any of the following, you'd be doing me a huge favor if you subscribed. I just created a History on Fire Instagram account, TikTok account and YouTube account (and I started a Substack about a month ago).
So, here are ...
2023-07-11 13:47:15 +0000 UTC View Post
I recently opened a Substack for the sake of having a newsletter that goes straight into people's email. The paid content will be the same as on Patreon, so you'll already have access on this platform. Of course, you are more than welcome to subscribe to the free newsletter. But in either case, just for the sake of making things easier for you, I'll publish here a link any time I write an essay or anything of that sort. Here's my first essay for Substack: it serves as a companion to the lates...
2023-07-08 01:00:35 +0000 UTC View Post
“We are all ghosts now. But once we were men.” — Anonymous POW from Cabanatuan camp
“Never in history had the United States Army been called on to rescue such a large number of POWs from so deep in enemy territory.” — William Breuer
“We were in the best shape of our lives, and with this mission we understood why he had driven us so hard.” — Alvie Robbins speaking about Henry Mucci’s physical training
“As far as we were con...
2023-07-03 15:08:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Growing up in Italy, I was taught Roman history until I could stomach it no more. It wasn’t until I saw Ray Stevenson’s masterful performance as Titus Pullo in HBO’s Rome that I understood the beauty and appeal of the history of Rome. Rome is easily the best historical TV series ever created. This episode about it is dedicated to the memory of Ray Stevenson.
2023-07-01 15:26:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Benvenuto Cellini is remembered as one of the greatest artists of his age, and at the same time as a man of explosive passions, equally inclined to murder and disturbing sexual escapades. In this second episode: Cellini and his path to vengeance, summoning demons inside the Colosseum, the 48 Laws of Power at the court of the French King, escaping from prison, surviving poisonings, Perseus and Medusa, and much, much more. If you are looking for entertainment set in the Renaissance, you really ...
2023-06-21 20:25:31 +0000 UTC View PostI've been trying to upload Episode 100 for a few days, but I'm traveling with no access to good Wi-Fi so I'm relying on street Wi-Fi... and let's just say it's not working great. So, my deepest apologies but I won't be able to post the ad-free version of Episode 100 until I return to a place with a halfway decent internet. Thank you for your patience!
2023-06-20 14:44:34 +0000 UTC View PostHello sweet people! I just created a substack (following is my first post). For the sake of simplicity, I'll also publish here any newsletter I create through substack, so you don't need to sign up there. But if you already have a substack account, you might as well subscribe so you get notifications directly into your email. In any case, here we go! If you have any questions, please...
2023-06-15 17:39:27 +0000 UTC View PostIt's probably a good idea to have a welcome message pinned to the top for people who just joined to help find what they are looking for. So, here we go...
Thank you so much for supporting me on Patreon! Your choice to contribute to my work is what keeps the podcast going.
The easiest way to find what you are looking for is using the search function within Patreon. All the bonus episodes exclusive for supporters are labeled 'HOF Mini'. If you search for that, they will all co...
2023-06-11 17:37:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Animals have gone to war alongside human beings for centuries. This is the story of Rags, the hero dog of WW I, who managed to survive being homeless in Paris, living in the trenches, getting bombed, suffering a gas attack, having a head-on collision with a car, finding himself attacked by larger dogs… and despite all this, living to the ripe old age of 20—which is really not bad for a dog. While dodging dangers, he also managed to save lots of human lives. Thank you to Alexander Von Ster...
2023-06-08 21:38:03 +0000 UTC View Post
“If one of you comes out of the shop, let the other run for a priest, because there’ll be no need for a doctor.” Benvenuto Cellini
“The whole world was now in warfare.” Benvenuto Cellini
“And then falling on my knees, I begged him to absolve me of that homicide, and of the others I had committed while serving the Church in the castle. At this the Pope raised his hand, carefully made a great sign of the cross above my head, and said that he gave me his blessing and that...
2023-06-04 19:00:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Dan Carlin is one of the nicest people I've ever met in podcasting (or even outside of it). Here, he's kind enough to have me on as a guest for a conversation about archaeology. I hope you enjoy it.
2023-05-31 17:11:17 +0000 UTC View PostI don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I feel like gratitude is a good sentiment to indulge in. I'm fairly sure all of you here on my Patreon are not fully aware of how much you help me, and how incredibly thankful I am to have your support. Your appreciation for my work is helping me more than words can express. It's doing wonderful thing for my mental well-being and my resolve. I am not sure what I have done to deserve your support, but from the bottom of my heart... thank you!&nbs...
2023-05-29 04:13:54 +0000 UTC View Post
I'll have a new mini-episode for you coming out soon (just a few days at most). In the meantime, here's my daughter performing Respect (originally written by Otis Redding and later rearranged and made famous by Aretha Franklin). If you like her work, please subscribe to her youtube channel.
“On these hills, where everywhere were rolling skulls, skeletons, and decaying body parts, Baron Ungern used to like to go to rest.” — Quote from one of Roman von Ungern-Sternberg’s officers
“Look at [Europe's] past full of fire and blood and the vicious, savage struggle of man against God. The West has given man science, wisdom, and power, yet it has also brought godlessness, immorality, treason, the abnegation of truth and goodness. There, in the West, the destr...
2023-05-22 21:33:04 +0000 UTC View Post
The incredibly talented Paul Klawiter created this animation starting from clips of my "Give Me Back My Legions!" series (History on Fire episodes 47 and 48)
2023-05-16 20:45:12 +0000 UTC View Post
“My name is surrounded with such hate and fear that no one can judge what is the truth and what is false, what is history, and what is myth.” — Roman von Ungern-Sternberg
“Ungern had fused with the war, and equally, the war, in turn, had fused with him.” — Willard Sunderland
A recurring thread in History on Fire episodes is my soft spot for individuals who are mildly mentally deranged, but have something lovable about them. Today, thaqt thread doesn...
2023-05-08 17:04:23 +0000 UTC View Post