The Italian film industry takes shape, led by three major organizations:
Cines, founded in 1906 in
Rome; and the
Turin-based companies
Ambrosio Film, founded by pioneering filmmaker
Arturo Ambrosio in 1906, and
Itala Film. Other companies soon followed in
Milan and
Naples, and these early companies quickly attained a respectable production quality and were able to market their products both within Italy and abroad. Giosuè Carducci is the first Italian to win the
Nobel Prize in Literature in 1906 "not only in consideration of his deep learning and critical research, but above all as a tribute to the creative energy, freshness of style, and lyrical force which characterize his poetic masterpieces".
January
January 9 –
Mount Vesuvius near
Naples initiates activity; indications are that the volcano is becoming increasingly active.[1]
April 5 –
Mount Vesuvius in
Campania erupts,[6][7] killing over 100 people and ejecting the most lava ever recorded from a Vesuvian eruption. Italian authorities were preparing to hold the
1908 Summer Olympics when Mount Vesuvius erupted, devastating the
province of Naples. Funds were diverted to the reconstruction of Naples, requiring a new location for the Olympics to be found.
April 10 – The lava flow from Mount Vesuvius, which had almost ceased, starts again in the direction of
Torre Annunziata; reaches the cemetery of that town and then turns in the direction of
Pompeii.[8]
May 6 – The first
Targa Florio, an open road endurance automobile race, starts in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. The race was initiated by
Vincenzo Florio and is considered to be the oldest
sports car racing event.
May 18 – Prime Minister
Sidney Sonnino is forced to resign.[11] He proposed major changes to transform Southern Italy, which provoked opposition from the ruling groups.