Fakturen eines Faszinosums: ‚Italien‘ als multimedialer Assoziationsgegenstand

From the postwar period onwards, media pluralisation, mass tourism and internationalisation have not only led to an increase in the marketing of Italy as a historical place of longing, but they also enhanced the auditory and visual construction of ‚Italy‘ as an object with numerous associations in everyday culture. This essay offers some preliminary thoughts on a series of case-studies that examine the multimedia imagining of ‚Italy‘ from the mid-20th century. The aim is to better understand the construction of the powerful myth of Italy in modernity, as well as the frequently associated phenomenon of internationally disseminated clichés with national connotations.