Italo Calvino’s Post‑War Southern Italy Journey Highlighted in “Calvino in Topolino”

The 1993 book *Calvino in Topolino* by Franca Mora recounts a post‑war cultural trek across Italy. Young book‑inspector Beppe Oreffice travels in a Fiat Topolino from Emilia to Lecce, mapping the nation’s libraries and describing them as “the map of culture.” He notes the scarcity of bookstores in the South, citing venues in Bari, Taranto, Lecce, Matera, Montemurro, and Potenza. The journey includes a meeting with writer Italo Calvino and poet‑mayor Rocco Scotellaro in Tricarico during a scorching July day. The trip also ties into the Einaudi “Settimane” literary events organized by publisher Giulio Einaudi.