Episode Information

Ernest Hemingway is a legendary figure. He was not only an author, he was a work of art in himself: a rock star before his time. Much of his life was spent on a never-ending holiday, which he meticulously documented and which served as a continuous source of inspiration to him. His name is synonymous with Cuba and Paris, world wars and civil wars, of adventurous African safaris, fascinating women who were in turn fascinated by his charisma. His aphorisms are among the most frequently quoted, his name one of the most present on plaques on buildings around the world. Everywhere there are places that boast of being mentioned by him: whether truthfully or falsely. There are thousands of photographs of him. Hemingway built himself a reputation as a soldier of fortune, a large than life personality, a man and a myth, confusing the life he lived with the imaginary lives of his characters.

This is the context of his travels in Italy. From World War I to the advent of fascism, from the Second World War to the years of the Italian economic miracle: friendships with both men and women, with food and wine, with the landscape, his lovers, the pleasures and tragedies of life, especially in the Veneto, were fundamental for the writer. We uncover how Hemingway was a precursor to the modern “celebrity”, discovering along the way how he became a victim of the very image he had created for himself. Discovering the unknown and private aspects of his character among the mountains and lakes of an area that he loved to the end, makes the silence regarding the fragility of this “tough guy” even more deafening.