Madness is a human condition. Madness exists and is present in us just like reason. (Franco Basaglia)From man to the true man, the road passes through the madman. (Michel Foucault)This course wants to investigate the theme of madness and mental distress in XX and XXI century Italian Literature and Cinema. Constructing our interpretations with the theoretical support of Foucault, Freud and Basaglia among others, we will explore the “mad” pages of Tozzi, Svevo, Pirandello, Tobino, Merini, Rosselli, Berto, Manganelli. We will also watch the movies which told the story of madness, neurosis and melancholia in Italian cinema: from Rossellini to Antonioni, from Bellocchio to Marazzi, Giordana and Alatri. The course will be taught in Italian.