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Tutto don Camillo: Mondo piccolo
Tradotto in più di cinquanta lingue, letto nei più diversi paesi, con i film a lui dedicati che a oltre mezzo secolo continuano a ottenere audiences di tutto rispetto. Questo è il lato più spettacolare del fenomeno Guareschi/don Camillo, accompagnato, in Italia, da vendite vertiginose e costanti nel tempo. Fino a pochi anni fa, tuttavia, la critica liquidava quasi con fastidio Giovannino Guareschi e i suoi libri. Oggi, la figura di Guareschi è stata pienamente rivalutata ed è entrata di diritto nella storia della letteratura del '900 italiano. Il cofanetto raccoglie tutte le storie e i racconti che hanno per protagonista don Camillo e il suo "doppio" Peppone.
Elenco volumi
· 1: Racconti (1-182)
· 2: Racconti (183-346)
· 3: Note ai racconti e indici
Elenco volumi
· 1: Racconti (1-182)
· 2: Racconti (183-346)
· 3: Note ai racconti e indici
2254 pages, Unknown Binding
First published November 1, 1963
15 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Giovannino Guareschi
279 books216 followersGiovannino Oliviero Giuseppe Guareschi, also know as Giovanni Guareschi, was a Italian journalist, writer, humorist. Along with Giovanni Mosca and Giaci Mondaini he founded the humorous magazine "Candido". He was well know because of the "Don Camillo" series based on the stories about the two main characters: Don Camillo, the priest and Peppone, the communist Mayor.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 4, 2018
Un grandissimo Guareschi che, mettendo alla berlina il comunismo e le beghe politiche del tempo, ha saputo intrecciare tragico e comico in modo perfetto!
Già, perché sullo sfondo della grande madre Russia, come non ricordare la disastrosa ritirata che vide un'infinità di soldati italiani, mandati a morire dai soliti politicanti che se ne stavano comodi al caldo, soccombere tra il gelo e le mitragliate sovietiche? Tanti gli episodi che riesumano quelle vicende dal baratro del tempo (all'epoca neanche troppo lontane) e tutti, puntualmente, strappano al cuore una lacrima.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSrw8...
Già, perché sullo sfondo della grande madre Russia, come non ricordare la disastrosa ritirata che vide un'infinità di soldati italiani, mandati a morire dai soliti politicanti che se ne stavano comodi al caldo, soccombere tra il gelo e le mitragliate sovietiche? Tanti gli episodi che riesumano quelle vicende dal baratro del tempo (all'epoca neanche troppo lontane) e tutti, puntualmente, strappano al cuore una lacrima.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSrw8...
November 21, 2022
“Good evening.”
“What are you doing here?” inquired the gamekeeper.
“Looking for mushrooms.”
“With a gun?”
“As good a means as another.”
-Peppone is sprung on a private shoot - from the story 'Out of Bounds' on p29
My father’s library, while never large, reflected his evolving practical interests: engineering and classical music, followed by orchid growing and pottery. It was a ‘how to’ library of reference books.
He didn’t leave much time for recreational reading; there wasn’t much in the house, but there was Don Camillo, in the form of four orange Penguin paperbacks, which I read as a young teenager. Three of these volumes are brought together in this Readers Book Club Omnibus, published in 1956: The Little World of Don Camillo, Don Camillo and the Prodigal Son and Don Camillo's Dilemma. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found the omnibus in a street library, especially as I no longer have the original penguins.
I immediately read these collected stories straight through and fell in love with the characters all over again, after more than half a century: Don Camillo, parish priest of an unnamed village in the Po Valley and his antagonist Giuseppe Botazzi, ‘Peppone’, the Communist Mayor and local mechanic.
The stories are so good because the bull-headed protagonists are larger than life, both massive men, with willing fists and powerful boots. The urge to resolve matters physically is never far from the surface and does surface from time to time. Don Camillo is the Catholic parish priest with his old church occasionally revealing its secrets including a priceless fresco covered to protect it from looting. Peppone identifies Don Camillo with capitalism and the Americans as well as being beholden to the Pope and the Vatican. Peppone is proud of his People’s Palace but according to Don Camillo, is in the hands of Stalin and Malenkov, in the later stories just the Russians. This central dichotomy of faith versus non-belief is the basis of the stories. The village and its two leading citizens represent life in post-war Italy with Christian Democrats bitterly opposed to the Italian Communist party and vice versa. This conflict sees the two key protagonists attempt to disrupt each other’s activities in every aspect of village and community life: over parades, christenings, helping the poor, creating amenities for the children, uncovering hidden arms caches.
But it may be that Don Camillo and Peppone have more in common than they think. In the mountains during the war, they fought side by side in the resistance, creating an unbreakable bond. This experience also explains why both were so well supplied with arms and ammunition. Peppone and his party are well-equipped with Tommy Guns and Don Camillo has also salted away some weapons. Hence their commitment to exposing each other’s arsenals, important because the communists are always going on about ‘the coming revolution’ and the Christians are always worried about it. At one point Peppone orchestrates an inspection of the church knowing Don Camillo has hidden arms there but Peppone finds nothing and indeed is struck by the meagreness of Don Camillo’s larder, but comforted by the knowledge that at least the priest has a large salami for his supper, not realising that the sausage is where the priest had hidden away some of the illegal shells.
This humanity helps give the Don Camillo’s stories their charm: for both the priest and the mayor are community leaders fiercely protecting their flocks, trying to do good for the community in their own way.
Much as the action centres on the two principals, there are other regular or recurring characters like Smilzo, Peppone’s scrawny bicycle-riding right hand man who often barely escapes heavy objects hurled at him; and the Bishop, an elderly man often frustrated with Don Camillo but fond of him in equal measure. Also prominent are Lightning, Don Camillo’s hunting dog, succeeded by Thunder (thunder follows lightning) shared between the priest and the mechanic. But the most important additional character is the Lord himself, on the cross above the altar and with whom Don Camillo has a regular dialogue. This was the character I found most enthralling as a kid, I was intrigued that someone could have conversations with God. The Lord is, as you might expect, forgiving, concerned with the big picture rather than trivialities, above petty squabbles and doing His best to curb Don Camillo’s impetuousness. Giovanni Guareschi is at pains to say that the voice of the Lord is not God, but rather the author’s own conscience.
The Mayor and the priest find that their habits regularly coincide. On one occasion Don Camillo finds himself in Baron Stocco’s private shoot, where ‘not only game but even the neighbouring poultry had learned that they were in safety behind his fence of wire netting’ (p28), bagging a hare, when he is surprised to find Peppone doing the same thing. They are about to be caught by the gamekeeper, but Don Camillo melts away then deals with the gamekeeper by bopping him from behind, and the poachers flee. Both hurl the hares from their game bags. After a long penance of bread and water Don Camillo receives Peppone for confession:
“What are you doing here?” inquired the gamekeeper.
“Looking for mushrooms.”
“With a gun?”
“As good a means as another.”
-Peppone is sprung on a private shoot - from the story 'Out of Bounds' on p29
My father’s library, while never large, reflected his evolving practical interests: engineering and classical music, followed by orchid growing and pottery. It was a ‘how to’ library of reference books.
He didn’t leave much time for recreational reading; there wasn’t much in the house, but there was Don Camillo, in the form of four orange Penguin paperbacks, which I read as a young teenager. Three of these volumes are brought together in this Readers Book Club Omnibus, published in 1956: The Little World of Don Camillo, Don Camillo and the Prodigal Son and Don Camillo's Dilemma. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found the omnibus in a street library, especially as I no longer have the original penguins.
I immediately read these collected stories straight through and fell in love with the characters all over again, after more than half a century: Don Camillo, parish priest of an unnamed village in the Po Valley and his antagonist Giuseppe Botazzi, ‘Peppone’, the Communist Mayor and local mechanic.
The stories are so good because the bull-headed protagonists are larger than life, both massive men, with willing fists and powerful boots. The urge to resolve matters physically is never far from the surface and does surface from time to time. Don Camillo is the Catholic parish priest with his old church occasionally revealing its secrets including a priceless fresco covered to protect it from looting. Peppone identifies Don Camillo with capitalism and the Americans as well as being beholden to the Pope and the Vatican. Peppone is proud of his People’s Palace but according to Don Camillo, is in the hands of Stalin and Malenkov, in the later stories just the Russians. This central dichotomy of faith versus non-belief is the basis of the stories. The village and its two leading citizens represent life in post-war Italy with Christian Democrats bitterly opposed to the Italian Communist party and vice versa. This conflict sees the two key protagonists attempt to disrupt each other’s activities in every aspect of village and community life: over parades, christenings, helping the poor, creating amenities for the children, uncovering hidden arms caches.
But it may be that Don Camillo and Peppone have more in common than they think. In the mountains during the war, they fought side by side in the resistance, creating an unbreakable bond. This experience also explains why both were so well supplied with arms and ammunition. Peppone and his party are well-equipped with Tommy Guns and Don Camillo has also salted away some weapons. Hence their commitment to exposing each other’s arsenals, important because the communists are always going on about ‘the coming revolution’ and the Christians are always worried about it. At one point Peppone orchestrates an inspection of the church knowing Don Camillo has hidden arms there but Peppone finds nothing and indeed is struck by the meagreness of Don Camillo’s larder, but comforted by the knowledge that at least the priest has a large salami for his supper, not realising that the sausage is where the priest had hidden away some of the illegal shells.
This humanity helps give the Don Camillo’s stories their charm: for both the priest and the mayor are community leaders fiercely protecting their flocks, trying to do good for the community in their own way.
Much as the action centres on the two principals, there are other regular or recurring characters like Smilzo, Peppone’s scrawny bicycle-riding right hand man who often barely escapes heavy objects hurled at him; and the Bishop, an elderly man often frustrated with Don Camillo but fond of him in equal measure. Also prominent are Lightning, Don Camillo’s hunting dog, succeeded by Thunder (thunder follows lightning) shared between the priest and the mechanic. But the most important additional character is the Lord himself, on the cross above the altar and with whom Don Camillo has a regular dialogue. This was the character I found most enthralling as a kid, I was intrigued that someone could have conversations with God. The Lord is, as you might expect, forgiving, concerned with the big picture rather than trivialities, above petty squabbles and doing His best to curb Don Camillo’s impetuousness. Giovanni Guareschi is at pains to say that the voice of the Lord is not God, but rather the author’s own conscience.
The Mayor and the priest find that their habits regularly coincide. On one occasion Don Camillo finds himself in Baron Stocco’s private shoot, where ‘not only game but even the neighbouring poultry had learned that they were in safety behind his fence of wire netting’ (p28), bagging a hare, when he is surprised to find Peppone doing the same thing. They are about to be caught by the gamekeeper, but Don Camillo melts away then deals with the gamekeeper by bopping him from behind, and the poachers flee. Both hurl the hares from their game bags. After a long penance of bread and water Don Camillo receives Peppone for confession:
“I went back and collected both the hares and I have roasted one and jugged the other."Altogether a wonderful experience from my childhood and equally enjoyable all these years later.
“Just what I supposed you would do,” murmured Don Camillo. (p30)
Don Camillo passes by the altar.
“Poor Don Camillo,” whispered the Lord tenderly…"And now get along and eat your hare- for Peppone has left it for you, nicely cooked, in the presbytery kitchen.”(p31)
November 23, 2025
Vermakelijke verhalen over een dorpspastoor, een communistische burgemeester en de inwoners. Satirische schetsen over het verscheurde na-oorlogse Italië, waarbij het aanpakken van sociale misstanden centraal staat. De reis naar de USSR in deel twee gaat heerlijk over de top.
October 6, 2008
My dad used to read me a story every night before bed up until I was about 9. This ritual was sacrosanct in our household and I loved it. We went though all the usual things like What Katie Did and all the Little House on the Prairie books, but I loved best the ones that I could tell he also liked. He loved Don Camillo.
Don Camillo is deceptively simple: it centres around a priest in a little Italian village who has a life-ling rivalry with the mayor of said village. It is often wry and occasionally laugh-out-loud brilliant. It can also be poignant without being harrowing - these stories contain no nasty surprises.
Don Camillo is deceptively simple: it centres around a priest in a little Italian village who has a life-ling rivalry with the mayor of said village. It is often wry and occasionally laugh-out-loud brilliant. It can also be poignant without being harrowing - these stories contain no nasty surprises.
April 26, 2013
wow i love this book. Its lots of small stories set within a sleepy italian village with don camillo as the local priest and his communist adversary peppone, there are lessons to be learned while each little tale is full of humor, whit and jesus talking from a cross high on the alter, ive read this book again and again my grandpa introduced me to it and i hope to introduce it to future generations
June 22, 2021
This is a delightfully hilarious and wholesome collection of short stories. They are kind of stories I hope one day to read to my kids. It portrays a beautiful, earthy holiness that makes me want to live in that small Italian town.
Jesus features often, speaking to Don Camillo in a motherly and affectionate way. None of it feels sacrilegious in any way. I imagine God laughs along with us. Highly recommend to anyone who is in need of a laugh.
Jesus features often, speaking to Don Camillo in a motherly and affectionate way. None of it feels sacrilegious in any way. I imagine God laughs along with us. Highly recommend to anyone who is in need of a laugh.
June 13, 2012
I've read this book again and again. It's very much an old friend. The extremely funny short stories about Don Camillo and Peppone who, at first glance, appear to be enemies but are really friends with a long history behind them. I read this book about once a year and never tire of it.
March 23, 2020
My dear Uncle Johnny loved this book: I can picture him now telling me that he used to read this with tears of laughter running down his face, bless him. He was right: these are wonderful books.
March 30, 2020
Bello bello bello, un po' diverso dal film, molto bello. Assolutamente da leggere!
November 26, 2019
I primi dieci o venti racconti sono molto belli: semplici, poetici e intelligenti come quelli della raccolta del "Decimo clandestino". Poi purtroppo emerge la politica, quella che tutto rovina secondo Don Camillo. E si rovinano anche i racconti di Guareschi: se nei primi racconti Don Camillo e Peppone sono protagonisti quasi alla pari, con le botte e le reciproche lezioni che più o meno si bilanciano stemperandosi alla fine di ogni racconto nella inconfessata amicizia di fondo, con l'avvicinarsi delle elezioni del '49 l'equilibrio si frantuma. Don Camillo diventa eroe perennemente vincente (e, ai miei occhi, sempre più antipatico) mentre Peppone e i suoi si trasformano in un branco di ottusi sgherri, violenti, sgrammaticati e costantemente pronti a ricevere lezioni da Don Camillo come mammalucchi. L'episodio nel quale il capo della sezione provinciale del partito porta via il cibo a un bambino affamato e ne picchia il padre è a metà tra il melodramma da teatro parrocchiale e la propaganda alla Belpietro. Anche il fatto che Guareschi non parli quasi mai in toni critici del fascismo (quando sono in montagna Don Camillo e Peppone combattono contro i tedeschi, non contro i fascisti) lascia la sensazione di una persona poco obiettiva e politicamente avvelenata. Peccato, perché intelligenza, poesia, umorismo e capacità di scrittura certo non mancavano allo scrittore parmigiano. Molti di questi 300 e più racconti sono quasi fastidiosi da leggere, proprio perché dopo i tranquilli racconti iniziali (quelli che hanno fatto la fortuna dei primi due film tratti dalla saga) i caratteri dei protagonisti diventano stereotipati e sbilanciati
March 5, 2022
Three little books, themselves collections of a weekly article which started in December 1946, tell the stories of life in a little village in the Po valley. One must realise that the parish priest, a great gorilla of a man with virtues and vices to match, is effective co leader of this place with the Mayor, another gorilla of a man with vices and virtues to match. The only difference between them is that Don Camillo gets his instructions - and frequent admonishments - from Christ hanging above his altar, whereas Peppone the mayor gets him from his superiors in the communist party.
You could not get a more interesting and delightful set of tiny short stories, set within an arc of a few years, and involving hunting, murders, floods, gambling, petty thievery, the occasional bomb, statues hidden in walls, eloping lovers, domestic violence, dying well, sacrifice, and faithful dogs.
This 1955 collection, bought for 45p in Lyndhurst Emporium, has kept me going for six years now, one story a night or thereabouts. It just means that I will have to start the next collection, bought for a whole £1 from the same place.
You could not get a more interesting and delightful set of tiny short stories, set within an arc of a few years, and involving hunting, murders, floods, gambling, petty thievery, the occasional bomb, statues hidden in walls, eloping lovers, domestic violence, dying well, sacrifice, and faithful dogs.
This 1955 collection, bought for 45p in Lyndhurst Emporium, has kept me going for six years now, one story a night or thereabouts. It just means that I will have to start the next collection, bought for a whole £1 from the same place.
May 11, 2018
The politics are more than suspect, and his preference for the Right as opposed to the Left is glaringly obvious. It can be decently humorous at times, but its main strength is that it gives an intriguing glimpse at a place and time that most of us know little about. So it is the asides and the descriptions of life in the Po Valley that make this collection enjoyable
December 3, 2025
Beautiful, funny and deep all at the same time. A rare masterpiece in short story form
May 17, 2016
Every time I read this collection I love it. The epic battles between Don Camillo, parish priest, and Peppone, Communist mayor, all take place in a small Italian village in the 1950s. When they're not hitting each other with benches or ripping up decks of cards, they're best friends battling against the real villains...those untrustworthy so-and-sos from the neighbouring village.
Fulfills every happy stereotype of small-town politics. Chock full of humour and humanity.
Fulfills every happy stereotype of small-town politics. Chock full of humour and humanity.
December 19, 2024
È il mondo piccolo. È il mondo della campagna di metà 900. È qualcosa di magico e poetico dove comico, tragico, incredibile si intrecciano per regalare storie che scaldano il cuore. Un viaggio, anche, nel nostro passato.
April 1, 2017
Just wonderful!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews