The origin and the purpose of this page are explained here. In brief, this is a list of intellectuals who have helped me to reflect on several aspects of my life and of society. This is thanks to their ability to call into question accepted events, ideas, and opinions. In other words, I consider them traveling companions in this unpredictable, winding, and exhausting life journey toward equilibrium.

Massimo Fini

Technically, Massimo Fini is a journalist and a writer. As a matter of fact, he also should be considered an ultimate thinker. I think that Fini is a true, contemporary genius. He has the uncanny capability to read current affairs and people’s behavior outside the box. His thought-provoking analyses range from politics to history, from habits and customs to the economy. Because of his opinions, he swims against the tide very often. Throughout his entire career, he has paid a price for his positions and this makes his professional life even more admirable.

Dario Fabbri

Dario Fabbri revolutionized my view of geopolitical matters, especially the ones regarding the imperial policy of the United States of America. Even though Fabbri lives and works in Italy, he has a deep knowledge of American society thanks to the fact that he was born in Texas and to his relentless study of this controversial but fascinating country. His lucid, pragmatic analyses of American foreign policy from World World II on are a powerful tool to understand the modern world.

Piergiorgio Odifreddi

Professor Piergiorgio Odifreddi represents the embodiment of rationality. Being a mathematician and logician, he sees facts through the lens of the rational discipline par excellence, mathematics. Despite his rigorous and serious training, Odifreddi combines cleverly complex concepts with a marked sense of humor that makes his dissemination of scientific knowledge very effectively. Odifreddi should also be credited for defending firmly his ideas, especially the ones about religions. It is not easy to do that in the country where the Roman Catholic Church is located.

Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek is often defined as a leadership expert but I think his expertise goes beyond that. I find his ideas about business management and leadership intriguing because they are formulated from the perspective of anthropology. Consequently, Sinek describes the leader’s role of a work team and the mission of a company in original and unprecedented ways.

Sports-related Honorable Mentions

Sergio Tavčar

As a sports journalist and broadcaster, the quality of Sergio I appreciate the most is his integrity. With regard to basketball, he has an intimate knowledge of all the aspects of the game. As a free thinker, he has a unique capability to use sports as a key to unlock, read, and interpret social and cultural phenomena. A couple of times every year, he organizes informal meetings—named “sconvenscions”—with the people who read and comment on his blog. I have the privilege to be one of them. This is why I refer to him by his first name.

Federico Buffa

The professional story of Federico Buffa is unique. He started to work as a lawyer. However, thanks to the numerous times he travelled to the USA, he managed to become a sports agent of American basketball players who played in Italy. This job allowed him to combine his knowledge of legal matters with his insane love for basketball. Then he worked as a television broadcaster. Thanks to an original use of the Italian language, he literally invented a new storytelling format about sports events that made him pretty famous in Italy. He has a profound knowledge of many different cultures and he is a very spiritual person. I had the chance to meet him in person more than once. In 2014, he hosted a public talk with Sergio Tavčar that I attended. It was really a memorable moment. Some years ago, he quit his broadcasting job. I asked him why. He answered that he believes that life consists of 15-year cycles. At the end of each one, you should turn the page and move on towards a new stage. He has done that throughout his entire life.