Naked, completely naked. They are the new ‘cacio e pepe’ gurus

Among the most undesirable consequences of the extreme heat – farewell, dear and beautiful summer of the 1960s – is the emergence, in an almost Adam-like state, of gurus, influencers, chefs, rappers and trappers. Although the latter were already strutting about “twenty years ago”, as the Modena-born Guccini sang. The most striking transformation concerns a chef as quintessentially Roman and much-loved as Max Mariola, who made his video debut – on that tiny YouTube channel – eight years ago, with a modest dish of pasta alla pecorara. Born in Rome and raised on the coast, in Nettuno, for the occasion – alongside guanciale and ricotta – the already seductive Mariola flaunted a suggestive strip of pancetta and biceps already clearly visible beneath his tight-fitting blue T-shirt, as dictated by the supreme commandment. Mariola, following incredible popularity with the public and the opening of several restaurants in Milan (and subsequently their closure), now boasts a page with over a million subscribers, and has gone wild, taking his flirtatious manner and his famous catchphrase "sound of love" – always whispered on camera whilst, with his biceps on display, he stirs the pasta in a manly fashion – all the way to Indonesia, on the island of Mentawai to be precise.

After all, it’s only a short hop from Neptune to Mentawai for the famous chef, who now appears bare-chested, clad only in a pair of shorts and his ever-present flip-flops. In short, between a carbonara and a cacio e pepe, Mariola has become something of a guru: he champions a slow, healthy lifestyle, drinks coconut water on the beach and, meanwhile, is building his home – which, of course, is never just a house, but a project open to anyone who wants to make the leap straight from his famous 30-euro Milanese carbonara to a life that is finally happy.

However, Mariola is not the only one displaying his chest and six-pack, biceps and rippling muscles; sharing the Instagram audience with him is the man who was once the "King of the Mangroves" during the first series of "Isola dei Famosi" – a pained Walter Nudo, who must be given credit for having had to face Adriano Pappalardo rather than just any old Omar Fantini. The restless Nudo conveys his message – part theatrical, part spiritual and also a bit confused – underpinned by a beastly physique that’s always on full display, with his long, flowing hair now resting loosely on his shoulders. Nudo’s philosophy boils down to: ‘the real turning point comes when you stop looking outwards and start looking inwards’, although, having looked inwards so much, he eventually ends up talking about hair, muscles and physical exercise. Joining them, also with a certain guru-like air about him, is the Vannaccio-style watchmaker Lorenzo Ruzza, who, between one Rolex and the next, offers lifestyle advice, always with his rigorously sculpted chest and arms displaying prominent veins. It really does seem to be the ‘summer of bare torsos’, as Luca Bizzarri put it, especially as even Lino Ieluzzi – the famous owner of a Milanese gentlemen’s boutique (and Matteo Salvini’s former son-in-law), who has risen to social media fame – has ditched his double-breasted suit to show off his beach-ready physique. Meanwhile, on the streets, men with nothing to say stride along with their bellies on display, searching for a bit of shade that no sapling from the PNRR seems able to provide. And to think that, as Dino Risi wrote: “Happiness is being alone in summer in a deserted city, sitting on the loo with the door open”. I wonder if Max Mariola has ever thought of that.