On the GO stage, Valerio Aiolli presents his brand-new book Portofino Blues (Voland), joined by Gianluca Monastra and Peppe Voltarelli, who will accompany the author’s interview with his wonderful music.

Il libro:

On Monday, January 8, 2001, around 7 p.m., Countess Francesca Vacca Agusta disappeared from the garden of Villa Altachiara in Portofino. For years, she had been a prominent figure in both the Italian and international jet set. That night marked the beginning of an investigation that would dominate newspaper headlines and television reports for weeks, months, and even years—remaining unresolved and relentless, even after her body was discovered in the sea about twenty days later, just off a bay in the French Riviera.

How and why did the countess fall from the cliff? Who was with her that evening? Was she pushed, or was it an accident? Like assembling a puzzle, Valerio Aiolli reconstructs this intricate and never fully clarified story of love and heartbreak, drugs and multimillion-dollar inheritances, luxury yachts and nightmarish money flows—spanning from Liguria to Lombardy, from Switzerland to Tunisia, from Miami to Acapulco. In this gripping novel, as unsettling as a noir, the author attempts to grasp an elusive truth, alternating between the perspectives of the key figures involved, official statements, and the media coverage of the case. Moving in and out of Villa Altachiara, the novel not only revives Francesca Vacca Agusta but also explores Italy’s industrial, political, and social history.

L'autore:

Valerio Aiolli was born in Florence in 1961, where he still lives. His works include Io e mio fratello (Edizioni e/o, 1999, winner of the Premio Fiesole and shortlisted for the Premio Strega), Fuori tempo (Rizzoli, 2004), Il carteggio Bellosguardo (Italo Svevo Edizioni, 2017), Radio Magia (minimum fax, 2023), and A Firenze con Vasco Pratolini (Giulio Perrone Editore, 2023). For Voland, he has published the novels Lo stesso vento (2016) and Nero ananas (2019), the latter also shortlisted for the Premio Strega.