The Friction of Life

Naples, May 8, 1959. Renato Caccioppoli, a mathematical genius, prodigious pianist, captivating storyteller, highly cultured and multilingual, believed to be the grandson of the anarchist movement founder Mikhail Bakunin, takes his own life by shooting himself in the back of the head in his residence at Palazzo Cellammare. Adored by students and colleagues, a symbol of freedom and non-conformity for an entire generation, Caccioppoli enchanted not only some of the most celebrated intellectuals of