publishing companyThe bold initiative to publish “The Golden Bough” in its unabridged versionThe Luni edition is the first complete Italian edition of James Frazer’s seminal work, meticulously translated and edited by Fabrizio Bagatti. A dizzying ethnographic treasure trove of myths, rituals and beliefsbyMarco Lanterna3 OCT 26
war on beautyObservers watch the models on the catwalk and reflect on the inhuman aesthetic of the designers.In recent years, the conversation has revolved almost entirely around female identity and the rights that go with it. Yet it seems that in the world of fashion designers and catwalks, nothing has changed. The cult of form that erases realitybyAlfonso Berardinelli3 OCT 26
THE ANALYSISDemocracy today, caught between institutional leviathans and technological monopoliesOn Simona Forti’s lecture on the contemporary far right. Fiction to be avoided and momentous decisions taken in esoteric settingsbyMatteo Marchesini2 OCT 26
the country of the ‘cold case’From Ustica to Garlasco. “I casi irrisolti sono un asset per tv, cinema e podcast,” says producer Pietro Valsecchi“These are stories that can be very powerful. But there is a risk that they will become mere entertainment. We need to distinguish facts from speculation and treat people with respect.” InterviewbyRiccardo Carlino1 OCT 26
BAD SCIENTISTSThe real prize for Wanna Marchi and Stefania Nobile is the set designA generic ‘International Culture Award’ does not turn its recipient into Benedetto Croce. If the same plaque had been presented at a conference centre on the Tiburtina, no one could have told the story of the ‘journey from prison to the Campidoglio’. Public prestige becomes the packaging for a private promotional campaignbyEnrico Bucci29 SEP 26
1937–2026Umberto Pizzi, the doyen of Roman photographers, has diedFrom reports on the Middle East to the stars of La Dolce Vita, right through to Roman parties with Dago. “I’ve photographed the First, Second and Third Republics, and I believe I’ve always done so with honesty. But these days, I don’t see that many charismatic figures,” he told Il Foglio a few years ago. byRedazione29 SEP 26
DECODER – an atlas of pop cultureAbruzzo has its own Hobbits tooTwo recommendations to help you navigate the vast realm of popular culture: the comic strip “Il grande potere del Chninkel” and the documentary “La mia Anima ha fretta”.byGianluca De Angelis29 SEP 26
ANTIQUES BIENNIALOvertourism gives us a BiafFrom the Old Masters to the fine craftsmanship of the decorative arts, one cannot help but regret not being a billionaire – or at least a millionaire. In Florence, amongst elegant foreigners queuing for antiques byCamilla Baresani29 SEP 26
the debut novelAn obsession with the body and, ultimately, love: mother and daughter, two new Bovarys. Introducing "New Skin"In Sarah Wang’s debut novel (Foglio Edizioni), the protagonists Fanny and Linli grapple with the contemporary obsession with beauty and culture shock. Second chances do exist, but only if you’re willing to pay for thembyEster Viola29 SEP 26
Reading exercises /19Anatomy of the ruling classIt is not a class in the strict sense and does not lead; if anything, it represents. How it is composed (it is not made up solely of politicians and government officials) and how it functions, in Italy and in a democracy. Rereading Burke and Tocqueville, Croce and NittibySabino Cassese28 SEP 26