Sergio Zavoli

Italian journalist and politician (1923–2020)

2 min read

Why this is trending

Interest in “Sergio Zavoli” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-27.

Categorised under Entertainment, this article fits a familiar pattern. Articles in the entertainment category often trend when tied to award ceremonies, film releases, celebrity news, or viral social media moments.

By monitoring millions of daily Wikipedia page views, GlyphSignal helps you spot cultural moments as they happen and understand the stories behind the numbers.

2026-01-29Peak: 202026-02-27

30-day total: 276

Key Takeaways

Sergio Wolmar Zavoli (21 September 1923 – 4 August 2020) was an Italian sports and documentary journalist and politician.
He won two Prix Italia awards for his travel documentary Notturno a Cnosso (1953) and Clausura (1957), which included interviews with enclosed nuns.
Zavoli's notable historical documentaries included Nascita di una dittatura (1972), which won the Saint-Vincent Prize, and La notte della Repubblica (1989–90), which documented the Years of Lead.
In the 2001 general election, Zavoli was elected senator for the Democrats of the Left, and was reelected for the Olive Tree and Democratic Party in subsequent elections until his retirement at the 2018 general election.
Zavoli died in Rome on 4 August 2020, aged 96, and was laid to rest near Riminese filmmaker Federico Fellini, a close friend, in the Monumental Cemetery of Rimini.

Sergio Wolmar Zavoli (21 September 1923 – 4 August 2020) was an Italian sports and documentary journalist and politician.

Born in Ravenna and raised in Rimini, Zavoli joined RAI, Italy's state broadcaster, as a sports radio journalist in 1947. He won two Prix Italia awards for his travel documentary Notturno a Cnosso (1953) and Clausura (1957), which included interviews with enclosed nuns. In 1962, he inaugurated the first transmission of Il processo alla tappa , a popular series of sports programmes dedicated to the Giro d'Italia. Zavoli's notable historical documentaries included Nascita di una dittatura (1972), which won the Saint-Vincent Prize, and La notte della Repubblica (1989–90), which documented the Years of Lead. Zavoli served as RAI's president between 1980 and 1986.

In the 2001 general election, Zavoli was elected senator for the Democrats of the Left, and was reelected for the Olive Tree and Democratic Party in subsequent elections until his retirement at the 2018 general election. Between 2009 and 2013, he served as Chairman of the RAI Supervisory Commission. Zavoli died in Rome on 4 August 2020, aged 96, and was laid to rest near Riminese filmmaker Federico Fellini, a close friend, in the Monumental Cemetery of Rimini.

Alongside his journalism and political career, Zavoli published several fictional and non-fictional books. His documentaries were notable for platforming voices directly, and their respectful portrayal of political opponents.