As part of the cultural and literary review Aperitivo con l'Autore by Brazzale, on Saturday 19 July 2025 at 5:30 pm, in the evocative Piazza San Marco in Enego, Maurizio Mannoni, the historic face of Italian television journalism, will be the protagonist with his surprising narrative debut: "Quella notte a Saxa Rubra" (Ed. The ship of Theseus).
The novel takes its cue from a mysterious suicide that took place inside the RAI studios of Saxa Rubra: that of Giovanni, a RAI journalist, colleague and fraternal friend of the narrator. Years later, the protagonist decides to return to that story that remained suspended and obscure, looking for the root causes that led Giovanni to take his own life in the Saxa Rubra studios. The questions multiply: was it the tormented love for a young colleague, Angela, that cracked Giovanni's balance? Or the pressure and harassment from the director? Or, instead, a tragic showdown for burning issues in Rai?
In an attempt to make sense of that death, the narrator finally manages to get in touch with Angela, who disappeared from Rome immediately after her suicide. And it will be she who reveals the truth to him: a devastating truth, which digs beneath the surface to bring to light what many had chosen not to see.
Between the pages of the novel there is also a disillusioned reflection on the world of RAI, represented as an opaque, slow structure, dominated by the logic of power and increasingly distant from the ideal of public service. The result is a dense, pressing story, which makes no concessions and keeps the reader glued to the last line.
An auteur noir that intertwines fiction and verisimilitude, journalism and civil conscience, returning a disillusioned but necessary portrait of Italian television and its behind the scenes. That Night in Saxa Rubra is a novel that can be read in one breath, but which leaves the reader to reflect for a long time.
Admission to the event is free, subject to availability.
In case of bad weather, the venue of the meeting may be subject to change. For updates and information, you can contact the bookshop through the appropriate buttons at the bottom of the page.
Maurizio Mannoni worked for many years at Rai's TG3 until 2023. He has edited several information and journalistic in-depth programs of Rai 3 including Ultimo minuto, Primo piano, Un giorno per sempre, TG3 and Gt Ragazzi. He hosted TG3 Linea Notte until the spring of 2023, becoming its historic face.
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