Un "divertimento", un lampo di intelligenza ribelle. Così si possono descrivere queste pagine in cui Cipolla mette da parte il suo ruolo di studioso serio e, giocando con il paradosso e l'assurdo, scrive due brevi saggi: il primo è una divertente parodia della storia economica e sociale del Medioevo; il secondo, una simpatica teoria sulla stupidità umana. Assolutamente da leggere.

Carlo Cipolla (Pavia, August 15, 1922 - Pavia, September 5, 2000) was an Italian historian specializing in economic history. He taught in both Italy and the United States.

Cipolla studied in Pavia, Italy, at the Sorbonne in Paris, and the London School of Economics. At just 27 years old (1949), he obtained his first chair in economic history at the University of Catania, marking the beginning of a long academic career in Italy (in Venice, Turin, Pavia, the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, and Fiesole) and abroad. In 1953, Cipolla traveled to the United States as a Fulbright Fellow, and in 1957, he became a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, before being appointed full professor two years later.

Cipolla was one of the first scholars to study epidemics and their socio-economic consequences (beyond public health), focusing particularly on judicial documents from Florence’s health authorities. His works include I pidocchi e il Granduca (1979) and many others.

His narrative style and almost conversational tone allowed him to turn technical and statistical issues into engaging discussions. This approach, often enriched by subtle humor, contributed to his popularity with the general public. Cipolla viewed this accessible style as a "social" duty, which reached its peak in Allegro ma non troppo, featuring the five fundamental laws of human stupidity - a remarkable best-seller written by a historian.