What is "Passato remoto" and when is it used?

Passato remoto is a past tense. It is used when we want to talk about something that happened a long time ago and do not have any connection with the present. This tense can be usually seen in written language (and sometimes it is considered only as a "book tense"), although it is commonly used in spoken language in some southern regions of Italy.
Example of Passato remoto:Il cantante Carlo Broschi nacque ad Andria il 24 gennaio 1705.Here we talk about the birth of a singer. It happened in 1705, so many years have passed already, and it is not connected with the present (because it just happened once, in 1705).