# Barbara Alberti

Barbara Alberti (born April 11, 1943) is an Italian writer, reporter and media personality.

## Early life

Alberti was born in Umbertide and grew up in a poor family; she was given a Catholic education. When she was 15, her family moved to Rome. Alberti has said that, although she hated the city at first sight, she eventually warmed to it. She attended Rome University and took a degree in philosophy.

## Work

She aims to fight the traditional feminine image. Her works include the picaresque evil Memorie Malvagie (1976) to the meditative Vangelo secondo Maria (1979), a stronger work tinged with humor and provocation such as Il signore è servito (1983), Povera bambina (1988), Parliamo d'amore (1989), Delirio e Gianna Nannini from Siena, both from 1991, and Il promesso sposo (1994), a profile dedicated to the art critic Vittorio Sgarbi and presented in the guise of a "fake" autobiography.
A humorous production is La donna è un animale stravagante davvero: ottanta ritratti ingiusti e capricciosi (1998), in which Alberti imaginged Don Giovanni beside some female figures of her generation. Her protagonists take on the same challenge: to find the happiness. Creatures in revolt: injudicious old, children of hell, hell, saints. She has been passionate about the fantastic biographies of existing characters, living and dead.
In 2003, Alberti published Gelosa di Majakovsky, a biography of the poet (for which, in the same year, she was awarded the Alghero Woman Prize), and The Prince's Steering Wheel, in which she told the life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In 2006 she authored a book of short stories about husbands returning home.
She is the author of many screenplays, including Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli (1973), Il portiere di notte (1974) and Melissa P. (2005), as well as plays Ecce Homo.
Since 2009, she has written a weekly column, "La posta di Barbara Alberti" in Il Fatto Quotidiano.
Alberti worked as commentator/pundit on television talk shows, including Pomeriggio 5, Italia sul 2 and La guardiana del faro.

## Personal life

Alberti married producer and screenwriter Amedeo Pagani (three times). They have two children, Gloria Samuela (1966) and Malcom (1975). They first married in London to please her father, then in the Abbey of Casamari in Ciociaria to please Pagani's mother as she did not know about the London event, and for a third and last time "in the house of Ananias grandfather, my father's father, with lots of dancing on the threshing floor." Pagani left Alberti in the 1980s for Elisabetta Billi but returned to her fifteen years later because of the children. They never officially divorced and Alberti refers to him as "then-husband, now a dear relative". She does not believe in God, although she thinks there's a need of spirituality in the contemporary world.

## Literary works

* Riprendetevi la faccia, Mondadori (2010)
* Il ritorno dei mariti, Mondadori (2006)
* Il Principe Volante, Playground (2004)
* Gelosa di Majakovskij, Marsilio [it] (1994)
* Il promesso sposo (a biography of Vittorio Sgarbi), Edoardo Sonzogno (1994)
* Vocabolario d'amore, Rizzoli (1994)
* La donna è un animale stravagante davvero, Frontiera Edizioni (1994)
* Gianna Nannini da Siena (a biography of Gianna Nannini), Mondadori (1991)
* Parliamo d'amore, Mondadori (1989)
* Dispetti divini, Marsilio [it] (1989)
* Povera bambina, Mondadori (1987)
* Tahiti Bill, Mondadori (1985)
* Buonanotte Angelo, Mondadori (1985)
* Scometto di sì, Mondadori (1984)
* Fulmini, Spirali, (1984)
* Il signore è servito, Mondadori (1983)
* Sbrigati mama, Mondadori (1983)
* Donna di piacere, Mondadori (1980)
* Vangelo secondo Maria, Mondadori (1978)
* Delirio, Mondadori (1977)
* Memorie malvage, Marsilio [it] (1976)

## Filmography
### As screenwriter

| Year | Title |
| 1969 | La stagione dei sensi |
| 1970 | Una prostituta al servizio del pubblico e in regola con le leggi dello stato |
| 1970 | So Long Gulliver |
| 1972 | ... All the Way, Boys! |
| 1972 | The Master and Margaret |
| 1974 | The Night Porter |
| 1975 | Blonde in Black Leather |
| 1975 | Colpita da improvviso benessere |
| 1976 | Mimì Bluette... fiore del mio giardino |
| 1976 | Lunatics and Lovers |
| 1977 | Maladolescenza |
| 1977 | Pensione paura |
| 1979 | Ernesto |
| 1981 | La disubbidienza |
| 1984 | Una donna allo specchio |
| 1992 | Angeli e Sud |
| 1997 | Donna di piacere |
| 1998 | Monella |
| 2005 | Melissa P. |
| 2009 | I Am Love |
| 2013 | L'arbitro |
| 2014 | Misunderstood |
| 2017 | La guerra dei cafoni |
| 2018 | The Man Who Bought the Moon |
| 2023 | Vangelo secondo Maria |

### Acting roles

| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
| 2019 | The Goddess of Fortune | Elena Muscarà | |
| 2022 | War – La guerra desiderata | Violinist | Cameo appearance |
| 2024 | Fragili | Filippa | Miniseries |

### Television appearances

| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
| 2005–2006 | La fattoria | Opinionist | Reality show (seasons 2-3) |
| 2008 | La talpa | Opinionist | Reality show (season 3) |
| 2009 | Italian Academy | Judge | Reality competition |
| 2010–2013 | Pomeriggio Cinque | Opinionist | Talk show |
| 2013 | La guardiana del faro | Presenter | Talk show |
| 2018 | Celebrity MasterChef Italia | Contestant | Cooking competition |
| 2020 | Grande Fratello VIP | Contestant | Reality show |
| 2020–2021 | Ogni mattina | Opinionist | Talk show |
| 2022 | Alessandro Borghese: Celebrity Chef | Contestant | Cooking competition |