Are you interested in reading an Italian book with other students?
Well, you’re lucky because I have recently launched Leggiamo insieme, my first Italian book club, and the book I picked for the first session is Pista nera by Antonio Manzini.
Reading is my favorite hobby and, having studied English all my life, I have frequently used books to practice English. I had always read them on my own, but a couple of years ago, I joined an English book club, and I feel it did wonders for my language skills. I am so happy with this book club experience that I decided to run a book club for my Italian students!
My main goal for this book club is for it to be useful but not overwhelming, so it will last for three months: from mid-January to mid-March. It will include a few different activities: a YouTube livestream where I introduce the book (open to everyone), and for the book club members only, a Telegram channel to share thoughts and ideas while reading, and two Zoom calls to discuss the book (here you can find all details about the club).
As I mentioned before, the book I picked for this first book club is Pista nera by Antonio Manzini. I chose this book because it is a crime novel, a genre that is a favorite among students and that is usually more accessible and easier to read than others.
The book is the first episode in the series of Rocco Schiavone, who is a very popular character in Italy because he’s the main character of a TV series. He’s also very controversial, so I am sure he will give us plenty to talk about! Also, another thing that caught my interest is that it is set in Valle d’Aosta, a lesser-known Italian region that will be interesting to discover together.
Rocco Schiavone is a very interesting and peculiar character. He is a deputy commissioner of police from Rome, who has been exiled in the Italian Alps because he made some enemies in his hometown. He loves Rome and hates the small Alpine village where he is now stuck.
He hates the place, the cold, the snow, and the people he meets there. The only thing he wants to do is go back to Rome. Unfortunately, one day, a resort employee finds a body on the slope. Rocco Schiavone is assigned the case and has to find out what happened.
I purposely didn’t read the bookbeforehand, because I wanted to enjoy it with the students in the book club. However, I read many reviews and now can’t wait to start reading and discussing it with book club participants. In most of the reviews I read, people seem to hate Rocco Schiavone with a passion but love the plot, so I am sure it will be great to talk about the book – and express all our hate if it is needed!
Rocco Schiavone is also the main character of a very popular TV series of the same name. The policeman is played by Marco Giallini, one of the most important Italian actors of our time. I think he is the perfect choice because he is great at portraying controversial and despicable characters. He’s got a great talent for comedy, too, so I am really interested in getting to know Rocco Schiavone first, and then seeing Giallini play him in the series.
Finally, I loved the fact that the book is set in Valle d’Aosta, specifically in Aosta and Champoluc. Aosta is the place where Rocco Schiavone works, while the murder takes place in Champoluc, a tiny, sleepy ski resort in Val d’Ayas, up in the Alps.
The scenery is undoubtedly breathtaking because the Alps there are magnificent, but it is also a very unusual setting for a murder, and I am really curious to see how that place is portrayed. There’ll be a lot of things to discover and learn together!
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