“Ciao 2020”: Capodanno russo al tempo del Covid-19

The article examines the Večernij Urgant broadcast of the First Russian State Television channel and its special edition, "Ciao 2020", transmitted on New Year’s Eve 2020. The imaginary Italy staged on the TV show relates to a long history of its representations in Russian literature, art, and popular culture. The analysis of the Russian imaginary of Italy and the tools used to depict it in the show is accompanied by a reflection on the interactions between the television show and the viewer. This is then related to the 'extraordinary' condition of the global epidemic and the cultural response to it. It is hypothesized that the artistic choices of representation involve certain mechanisms which are characteristic of the discourse linked to collective trauma and the 'crisis of presence' experienced at moments of violent change.