Memory, Visuality, Fiction: Italian History and Conspiracies in Romanzo criminale: la serie

Romanzo criminale:la serie portrays Italian history as a continuum of numerous conspiracies and secrets. Based on a semiotic analysis of the TV series, this article argues that this type of narrative investigates both the role that media images play in the social understanding of past events, as well as the very role of power in controlling reality. In order to address these issues, the article will focus on the analysis of two plots that run through the series: the kidnapping and assassination of Aldo Moro and the investigation of the murder of Libanese, the first gang leader. Ultimately, an analysis of the last episode will indicate how the series re-establishes masculine and paternal authority, putting forward a specific representation of historical time.