With his sly smile, the rolled “R” typical of the old Roman dialect, his contagious laughter, and that glimmer of mockery in his blue eyes, Alberto Sordi was an extroverted and social actor, yet extremely protective of his private life. He was often painted as a stingy man, but that was just idle gossip.

Sordi, a lover of simple cuisine— especially pasta —once described his typical Sunday in a television interview: walks, church, and then a single dish—the famous magnata alla romana, a perfect snapshot of both the man and the era we so deeply miss.