PIETRO BIANCHI – Journalist

(Fontanelle, Parma, 1909 – Baiso, Reggio Emilia, 1976)

A journalist and a writer, he was one of the major Italian cinematographic critics. He debuted when he was very young, in 1928, working for the Gazzetta di Parma (Parma Gazette), where he remained until 1934 and wrote about cinema and literature. After the war ended, he taught History and Philosophy at the “Romagnosi” Classical High School. He moved to Milan and wrote for La Notte (The Night), Il Tempo (The time), Il Corriere Lombardo (The Lombard Courier). He was a cinematographic critic for the Bertoldo magazine and then also for the Candido (Candide) magazine directed by his co-regional Giovannino Guareschi (where he signed as “Volpone” (big fox), and then was editor of the Illustrazione Italiana (Italian Illustrator) magazine. He was among the founders of Giorno (Day) and was director of the weekly magazine Settimo Giorno (Seventh Day). In 1969 he published a monumental work on the history of cinema which is still in use today. Even though he lived in Milan, he kept alive the tie with his town of origin, which he loved to visit frequently. A friend of Pietro Barilla, he invented for him the famous slogan “With Barilla pasta it is always Sunday” while sitting at a coffee shop table in Garibaldi square together with Erberto Carboni. For Barilla as well, he followed the project to create a script and to produce the first television advertising spots (for the program Carosello) for which Carboni had traced the graphic design outline and that featured Giorgio Albertazzi, under the direction of Mario Fattori.

Giancarlo Gonizzi

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