The most beautiful pages of Italian post-war history were written in Rome during the time of Dolce Vita. While Fellini was filming his movies, featuring not only Marcello Mastroianni but also a certain Paparazzo, Hollywood actors crowded the stylish yet affordable Via Veneto. The cultural landscape of that time was shaped by friends such as Elsa Morante, Alberto Moravia, Carlo Emilio Gadda, Ennio Flaiano, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. They voiced their opinions in a polarizing manner on political and cultural events. With their books and highly controversial films, they wrote an everlasting chapter in Italian cultural history. They also hinted at a development that Italy cannot shake off: the excessively rapid rise to a media society.