A documentary series venturing inside the cinema of one of the most beloved directors of all time: Woody Allen. An exciting journey into the films, background and creative process of an authentic icon of world cinema and culture.

Exactly fifty years after Pier Paolo Pasolini's tragic death, five meetings dedicated to the great director will allow participants to venture into one of the most original and exciting authorial journeys in the entire history of cinema. Pasolini explored the possibilities of cinematic language from a very personal point of view, defining it as “the written language of reality”, capable of showing the changes and contradictions of Italian society at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. This research brings together some of Pasolini's great cultural influences, including Marxism, religion, myth, the body and painting, which were never separate from one another.

Meeting 5: In search of the lost myth

In the last part of his career, Pasolini confronted one of the strongest cultural roots of his artistic and intellectual journey: Greek myth. First in Oedipus Rex (1969) and then in Medea (1970), Pasolini showed a strength and richness still available to man today, myth being the dark and vital core of lived experience. This theme continued in the three films of the “trilogy of life”, only to be interrupted in his last film, Salò or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975).

François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard: two great masters of film history, undisputed protagonists of an unrepeatable season as the French Nouvelle vague. First friends, then rivals, very different from each other, but both bound by a visceral love for cinema: at Giunti Odeon a series of documentary films recounting their contrasting relationship. 

The illustrator Elena Triolo will join us to present her book L'oro bianco. Il segreto rivelato (Gallucci Balloon).
Joining her on stage will be Livia Frescobaldi (President of Amici di Doccia), Oliva Rucellai (Chief Curator of the Ginori Museum), and Pierdomenico Baccalario, who will moderate the event.

The Book:
From the European courts to the Tuscan hills, the story of porcelain tells a journey through Italian craftsmanship — a tale of dreams, work, and passion.
Through the voices of six characters, blending reality and imagination, we relive the birth and development of the Ginori manufactory in a choral narrative that brings to life the beauty of this extraordinary material, capable of uniting eras and destinies.

The Author:
Born in 1988, Elena Triolo graduated in Comics and earned a degree in Art History.
She first gained recognition on social media, where she published a series of witty comic strips, and began collaborating with Hop! Edizioni, which led to several published works.

She has worked with the Galileo Museum in Florence, illustrating educational materials for museum learning, and has published with major Italian publishers including Kleiner Flug, BD, DeAgostini, Rizzoli, Hoepli, Giunti, Mondadori, and Sperling & Kupfer.

At Giunti Odeon, three great classics of American cinema from the 1970s will immerse you once again in the psychedelic and futuristic atmospheres of a decade that forever marked the imagination of cinema, music, visual culture and fashion.

Lavinia and Mariangela Rinaldi will join us on the GO stage to present Profumo d'incenso, profumo di arrosto(Trenta Editore). They will be accompanied by Giuseppe Calabrese of Repubblica Firenze.

The book:

Twelve stories that skilfully weave together history, spirituality, and the art of the table, just like the twelve months of a Holy Year. Profumo d’incenso, profumo d’arrosto. Storie di Papi golosi tra un Giubileo e l’altro takes us on a curious and fascinating journey to discover several Popes—complex figures suspended between holiness and earthly indulgence—portrayed not only through their pastoral deeds, but above all through taste, their love of food, and the convivial traditions of their time.

With a respectful yet surprisingly human gaze, the book pauses on the threshold of their kitchens, where the scents of incense and roasting meat mingle with the ancient flavours of their favourite dishes and the glimmer of wines selected for papal banquets. Guiding us along this path are the memories of the great court chefs, the silent architects of the banquets and receptions that have shaped Vatican history.

The authors:

Mariangela Cianti Rinaldi
A historian and enthusiast of culinary traditions, she has already published Sapor di note with Trenta Editore.

Lavinia Rinaldi
A freelance journalist and expert in cultural communication, she is head of the press office at the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation.

When one of the greatest British actors and directors meets the queen of detective stories. In recent years Kenneth Branagh has begun adapting Agatha Christie's most famous novels for the cinema, impersonating with originality and sophistication the most famous of her characters: Hercule Poirot. Giunti Odeon offers the first two films of this ‘series’.

The author Maria Fittipaldi Menarini, accompanied by Niccolò Agliardi, Gianni Mercatali, and Toni Scervino, will tell us about her book Pensa che fortuna (Gruppo Editoriale).

The book:

Maria Fittipaldi Menarini retraces her life with sincerity and irony, from her family origins to the present, weaving together private memories and a generational narrative. Through vivid recollections and clear, engaging language, she tells the story of a great Italian family—from Florentine and Roman residences and Swiss boarding schools to the Tuscan countryside. It is a journey that begins at the roots—among eccentric grandparents, ladies of another era, and stern maternal figures—and leads to her own choices as a woman and a mother, in a continuous dialogue between heritage and freedom.

It is a rich life, marked by difficult moments and new beginnings, by acknowledged mistakes and profound bonds. Above all, there is the love for her daughters, with whom Maria now shares a passion for Bolgheri and its enological excellence through an all-female family project that gave rise to the Donne Fittipaldi winery. The title Pensa che fortuna (“Imagine the luck”) captures the spirit of the book: the ironic, clear-eyed gratitude of someone who has navigated life’s complexities without ever ceasing to seek its beauty.

The author:

Maria Fittipaldi Menarini is the founder and, together with her four daughters, the driving force behind Donne Fittipaldi, a Bolgheri-based winery active since 2004. She combines elegance, entrepreneurial vision, and environmental awareness, focusing on sustainability, biodiversity, and native grape varieties. She is also the promoter of the Vigna di Michelangelo, the first modern urban vineyard in Florence, located near the celebrated piazzale, where historic Tuscan varieties such as Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Foglia Tonda, Pugnitello, and Colorino are cultivated.

Among her wines stand out labels such as Malaroja, Magnetic, and Lady F, expressions of an entirely female-led project that highlights the bond between territory, culture, and innovation. She was included by Forbes Italia among the “100 Successful Women of 2024.”

Wes Anderson is one of the masters of contemporary cinema, beloved by audiences all over the world for his unmistakable style and poetics. Giunti Odeon dedicates a tribute to the great American director with a selection of his most famous films, all in original version with Italian subtitles.

At Giunti Odeon the traditional Sunday appointment with all the great Disney and Pixar classics! To see and see again the great animated films that over many years have enchanted generations of viewers, young and old!

The films of two immense masters of the history of cinema offered at Giunti Odeon in splendid and extremely rare restored versions. We start with the 34 comedies interpreted and shot by Charlie Chaplin for the Keystone Company between 2 February and 7 December 1914. In less than twelve months Chaplin went from being an almost unknown vaudeville actor to a film star. He learnt to conceive, direct and edit his own films: just one year of whirlwind activity and a world taking shape, a character gradually taking possession of his own suit, a filmmaker conquering his place in front of and behind the camera. The Keystone comedies record, in real time, and with a dynamism, vitality and energy that are unrepeatable, the birth and evolution of one of the 20th century's most universal characters. It continues with three overwhelming masterpieces by Buster Keaton: ‘Cops’ (1922), ‘The High Sign’ (1921), ‘Neighbours’ (1921). 

A rich selection of films shot on the most spectacular and inaccessible mountains and made by Mario Fantin, the explorer with a camera. Starting in the Alps, since the 1950s, Fantin has joined the most adventurous expeditions to the four corners of the globe, with the aim of returning home to take part in them in film form. Often in the retinue of Guido Monzino, one of the greatest explorers of the 20th century, Fantin took his 16mm camera with him on more than thirty expeditions. On each occasion, he combines chronicling punctiliousness and the need to satisfy a precise desire for knowledge with the ecstatic dimension of an eye imbued with visions on the edge of the possible.

At Giunti Odeon a rich selection of films and documentaries on painting, visual arts and comics in the 20th century. This is a selection of very rare titles (with many experimental and artist films) - from the Cineteca di Bologna archive - dedicated to the life and works of Alberto Burri, Umberto Boccioni, Primo Conti, Giorgio De Chirico, Antoni Gaudì, Alberto Grifi, Hugo Pratt, Gino Rossi and many others.

Riccardo Spada, with his lively and authoritative voice, will guide us toward becoming aware of the best strategies we can put into practice right away to grow our wealth. Together with Silvia Ognibene, he will present his latest book Investire senza dubbi (Rizzoli) on the GO stage.

The Book:

How much does our perception of risk influence our financial decisions? How strongly do political and social instability—like that of the times we are living in—affect the market? What can we do to stop our money from losing value and to secure a calm and enjoyable future? Now more than ever, we need to deepen our financial knowledge so we can consciously decide how to build the portfolio that best suits our needs. And Riccardo Spada, Italy’s number-one author on financial topics, promises with this book to address exactly the needs of the average saver, with the clarity and accessible style we have come to expect from him.

After You’re Already Rich but Don’t Know It, his guide to the basic principles of personal finance, it’s time to get serious: Investire senza dubbi will allow us to do exactly what its title promises. In these pages, we will explore the most important concept in finance—risk; gain a deep understanding of what bonds, stocks, and ETFs are and how they work; see how to make the most of gold’s unique characteristics; and finally be guided step-by-step in building our own portfolio, from determining asset allocation to adapting its composition over time, all the way to the seven rules for not being fooled by instinct.

The Author:

Riccardo Spada is an Italian communicator specializing in personal finance and investing. With his podcast The Bull, he has earned significant visibility and recognition. In 2024, he published Sei già ricco ma non lo sai. Il manuale di finanza personale per risparmiare e investire partendo da te. It with Rizzoli.

The splendid "European Fairy Tales" series of animated films made in the 1970s and based on folklore tales and stories from various European nations, from Italy to France, from Belgium to Hungary, from Switzerland to England. The shorts in rotation take their cue from Carnival: fifteen short animated films resulting from international co-productions, each of which tells a fairy tale belonging to the folk tradition of a European country.

Giunti Odeon pays tribute to one of the most important directors of contemporary cinema, James Cameron, with his most famous film: an absolute masterpiece that marked the imagination, moving and enamouring several generations.

Giunti Odeon pays tribute to the dark universe of Tim Burton, one of the creative geniuses of world cinema and one of the most versatile and fascinating artists of our time, thanks to his ability to shape a unique and unmistakable poetic universe. We celebrate the great American director and artist with a selection of his most famous films, all in original version with Italian subtitles.

At Giunti Odeon the traditional Sunday appointment with the great Disney and Pixar classics! To see and see again the great animated films that over many years have enchanted generations of viewers, young and old!

On the GO stage, Roberta Recchia, winner of the AMO QUESTO LIBRO 2025 Award, assigned by all Giunti al Punto booksellers! Recchia will present her latest book Io che ti ho voluto così bene (Rizzoli) in conversation with Pietro Romiti. Afterwards, Irene Gargano will present the award to the author.

The book:

Luca is not yet fourteen, but he has a quiet sensitivity that sets him apart from his peers. He lives with his parents and older brother in a seaside town where everything seems unchanging: a safe place that comes alive each year with the arrival of summer. One summer, a vibrant girl becomes his first dream of love. But when she disappears and the police show up at their door, the lives of Luca and his family are forever marked. To shield him—still a child in his innocence—from the shadow spreading relentlessly over the family, his mother hastily packs his suitcase and sends him on a train with a one-way ticket. Up North, his uncle Umberto, a high-school teacher, and aunt Mara with his cousins await him. In a world completely different from the one of his childhood, Luca tries to rebuild himself; he grows and puts down new roots, searching for meaning in words like trust and belonging. Supporting him are Uncle Umberto, who gives him everything he can, and Flavia, a determined girl intent on helping him rediscover hope for the future. With her delicate and profound prose, Roberta Recchia brings to life intense relationships, vibrant dialogues, and a story that holds us close until the very last page. A graceful novel about the possibility of rebirth and forgiveness, with a protagonist who wins us over and moves us from the start—because his voice reaches us with all the fullness of silence and whispered truths.

The author:

Roberta Recchia is a writer with a degree in European and American Languages and Literatures, known for her debut novel Tutta la vita che resta, which has been translated into numerous countries. She worked for many years in the corporate world, but before making her narrative debut she devoted herself to writing texts for herself and her family. She later embarked on a career as an English teacher and also worked in technical translation.

At Christmas it's time for classics! At Giunti Odeon three cult films from the history of cinema that have marked the imagery and atmosphere of the Christmas holidays, for young and old. 

Nicola Gratteri and Antonio Nicaso return to Giunti Odeon to present Cartelli di sangue. Le rotte del narcotraffico e le crisi che lo alimentano (Mondadori), a clear and unsettling journey into the hidden folds of international drug trafficking. This book shows that international cooperation between countries and anti-mafia institutions is a necessary—but not sufficient—condition to truly eradicate this scourge. Territories must be freed from need and fear, restoring dignity and trust to communities; only then will the mafias lose their fertile ground, allowing young people to grow up in an environment based on legality, responsibility, and mutual respect.

The book:

An invisible web envelops the planet. Along its threads flow tons of cocaine and unimaginable amounts of money. From the vast plantations of South America, the drug now reaches every corner of the world—United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy—fueling a global criminal economy. Nicola Gratteri and Antonio Nicaso have followed these routes on the ground, starting from the places where it all begins: Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, the world’s three main producers. There they met the cocaleros who harvest the leaves, saw the cocinas where the leaves become coca paste, and collected the testimonies of those who fight drug trafficking every day in anti-drug units. The picture that emerges is merciless: while the South American cartels amass colossal profits, entire regions sink into misery, suffocated by corruption and violence and deprived of institutional strength. And yet the flow of drugs does not stop; it crosses porous borders, travels hidden in containers, and reaches major European ports—even aboard makeshift submarines. Italy is an integral part of this system: the ’Ndrangheta, with its extraordinary capacity for infiltration, is now one of the most reliable partners of the South American cartels. From the docks of Gioia Tauro, millions of doses flood street-level markets, turning into money that is laundered through increasingly sophisticated methods, ultimately intertwining with the legal economy.

The authors:

Nicola Gratteri: Deputy Prosecutor of the Republic at the Court of Reggio Calabria, he is one of the magistrates most deeply committed to combating the ’Ndrangheta and has lived under police protection since April 1989. Saved by chance from a bombing attempt against him, he is one of the figures who best understands the mechanisms of Italy’s three major mafias—Cosa Nostra, Camorra, and ’Ndrangheta. He has coordinated major investigations into organized crime (including the one related to the Duisburg massacre) and into international drug-trafficking routes. Together with Antonio Nicaso, historian of criminal organizations and one of the world’s leading experts on the ’Ndrangheta, he has written numerous books, including: Fratelli di sangue (Pellegrini 2006), La malapianta (Mondadori 2010), La giustizia è una cosa seria (Mondadori 2011), Male lingue (Pellegrini Editore 2014), Oro bianco (Mondadori 2015), Padrini e padroni (Mondadori 2016), L’inganno della mafia (Rai-Eri 2017), Fiumi d’oro (Einaudi 2017), La rete degli invisibili(Mondadori 2019), and with Antonio Nicaso Non chiamateli eroi (Mondadori 2021), Il grifone. Come la tecnologia sta cambiando il volto della ’ndrangheta (Mondadori 2023), Una Cosa sola (Mondadori 2024), Senza scorciatoie. Una storia per dire no alle ingiustizie (Mondadori 2025).

Antonio Nicaso: Born in the province of Reggio Calabria, he now lives in Canada. He is a journalist, writer, and scholar of mafia-type criminal phenomena. He has devoted particular attention to comparative analysis of Italian mafias and foreign criminal organizations, with reference to partnership strategies in illicit activities such as drug trafficking and money laundering. He teaches the history of criminal organizations at Middlebury College in Vermont (USA). He is the author of 18 books on mafia-style crime, including several international bestsellers translated into multiple languages. In 1995 he published Global mafia, a book that was the first to introduce and explain the concept of criminal partnership; in 2010 he published La mafia spiegata ai ragazzi (Mondadori). With Nicola Gratteri he wrote Fratelli di sangue (Pellegrini 2006), La malapianta (Mondadori 2010), La giustizia è una cosa seria (Mondadori 2011), La mafia fa schifo (Mondadori 2011), Dire e non dire (Mondadori 2012), Acqua santissima (Mondadori 2013), Oro bianco(Mondadori 2015), Padrini e padroni (Mondadori 2016), Fiumi d’oro (Einaudi 2017), and La rete degli invisibili(Mondadori 2019). With Peter Edwards he wrote La fine dell’onore. L’ultima guerra di un boss che ha insanguinato l’America (Rai-Eri 2018). With Vittorio Amaddeo and Maria Barillà he wrote Quando la ’ndrangheta scoprì l’America. 1880–1956. Da Santo Stefano d’Aspromonte a New York, una storia di affari, crimini e politica (Mondadori 2019), and with Nicola Gratteri Non chiamateli eroi (Mondadori 2021), Il grifone (Mondadori 2023), Una Cosa sola (Mondadori 2024), Senza scorciatoie (Mondadori 2025).

Ellie B. Luin is coming to GO for the signing event of her latest book Wysteria Wood – Sogno Proibito (Sperling & Kupfer).

Remember that starting November 19th, you can pre-order your copy directly at Giunti Odeon! With your preorder, you will receive a priority-pass for the signing line.

Useful information:

• The priority-pass is available with the preorder of the book made in-store, or with the purchase of the book (in-store only) from the release day up to the day of the event. Passes will be assigned in time slots.

• You must show both the priority-pass and the receipt to access the priority line.

• Once the priority line has ended, the signing event will be open to anyone who purchased the book elsewhere (and therefore without a pass).

• The number of books the author can sign will depend on her availability (we recommend giving priority to the new release).

The book:

In a school where power and secrets intertwine like the wisteria vines choking the house of Wysteria Wood, Avalon must choose between who she is and who she wants to become—and learn that love can be the most dangerous weapon of all.

At Wysteria Wood, nothing is as it seems. Within the walls of an ancient law school, the line between right and wrong dissolves into a maze of moral ambiguity and repressed desires. Avalon Wingrave grew up there, overshadowed by a past no one dares to speak of, alongside two beautiful yet very different brothers: Draven, the danger, and Gremory, the refuge. But in that house, no one is innocent, and love tastes like a sin no one dares confess. When Avalon earns a place at the prestigious Triple Crown University, she finally seems ready to leave everything behind. Yet the past does not forget, and the arrival of an enigmatic lawyer ready to change the rules will spark a silent war in which every choice can be fatal.

The author:

Ellie B. Luin is an Italian author writing under a pseudonym. Born in Rome, she holds a degree in Law. Besides writing, she loves traveling, reading crime novels, and losing herself in classical literature. She has a deeply romantic streak and is an untiring dreamer. Since 2023, Sperling & Kupfer has published her Deviant series.

On December 13, the GO stage will host a dance performance by the Accademia Danza Choros Firenze, directed by Gaia Brazzano. The dancers will perform The Nutcracker, one of the most enchanting ballets in the history of classical dance.

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is a ballet born from the imagination of Tchaikovsky and choreographers Petipa and Ivanov, telling a magical story set on Christmas Eve. It all begins during a festive gathering at young Clara’s home, when her mysterious and charismatic godfather, Drosselmeyer, gives her a nutcracker shaped like a toy soldier—an unusual gift that immediately captures her imagination.

That night, while everyone sleeps, Clara returns to the living room to check on her new toy, only to find herself in a transformed world: the Christmas tree grows to an enormous size, toys come to life, and an army of mice invades the room. The Nutcracker leads the toy soldiers into battle against the Mouse King, and Clara bravely intervenes to save her wooden friend. After the victory, the Nutcracker is transformed into a young prince who invites Clara on a wondrous journey.

The two travel through the Kingdom of Snow, where ethereal dancers welcome them with the Waltz of the Snowflakes, and eventually arrive in the Land of Sweets. Here, the Sugar Plum Fairy greets them warmly and presents a series of colorful dances, each inspired by a different country or treat—from Spanish chocolate to Chinese tea, all the way to the famous Russian Trepak. The ballet concludes with the majestic Grand Pas de Deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, a moment of pure elegance that brings the tale to a close.

Over time, The Nutcracker has become a beloved symbol of the Christmas season. Its magical atmosphere, unforgettable music, and simple yet wondrous story make it a classic cherished by audiences of all ages.

Accademia Danza Choros Firenze

Accademia Danza Choros was founded in 2022 from the dream and passion of its creator, Gaia Brazzano. After more than sixteen years of experience directing a dance school, Gaia felt the need to create a new space—right in the heart of the neighborhood where she grew up—where the art of dance could flourish in all its forms.
The name “Choros” reflects the soul of the school: a true “chorus” of people united by their shared passion for dance.

1945-1975: this was the golden age of Italian cinema, full of masterpieces that left their mark on the entire history of film. From the ruins of war arose Neorealism, the “movement” that, with Rossellini, Visconti and De Sica-Zavattini, changed the way cinema was made and conceived forever. From the early 1950s, the revolutionary charge of Neorealism faded, becoming contaminated with popular genres such as comedy and other forms of popular cinema, passing through the golden 1960s with the affirmation of great auteur cinema (Fellini, Antonioni, Pasolini, etc.), “Italian-style comedy” and other genres (such as spaghetti westerns), until the anxieties, experiments and new sensibilities of the early 1970s. A long history in which Italian cinema reflects and reworks the enormous political, social, economic and cultural changes experienced by the country during those crucial three decades.

1945-1975: this was the golden age of Italian cinema, full of masterpieces that left their mark on the entire history of film. From the ruins of war arose Neorealism, the “movement” that, with Rossellini, Visconti and De Sica-Zavattini, changed the way cinema was made and conceived forever. From the early 1950s, the revolutionary charge of Neorealism faded, becoming contaminated with popular genres such as comedy and other forms of popular cinema, passing through the golden 1960s with the affirmation of great auteur cinema (Fellini, Antonioni, Pasolini, etc.), “Italian-style comedy” and other genres (such as spaghetti westerns), until the anxieties, experiments and new sensibilities of the early 1970s. A long history in which Italian cinema reflects and reworks the enormous political, social, economic and cultural changes experienced by the country during those crucial three decades.