The cursed and the beautiful: Representing the South in Italian TV crime narratives

TV crime narratives have portrayed in various ways the geographical, social and cultural realities of the Meridione , often reflecting on the ‘Southern Question’, its stereotypes and its tropes. Through the analysis of significant TV crime series set in the South, this article aims to highlight the different ‘gazes’ through which Italian crime TV series have looked at the Meridione . Engaging with narratological and visual theory, this article demonstrates how the exoticizing gaze cast on the Italian Mediterranean regions by mafia series – depicting these places as ‘cursed’ yet beautiful – has gradually been complemented by more picturesque perspectives, as exemplified by the case of Il commissario Montalbano ( Inspector Montalbano ). In more recent times, Imma Tataranni, Lolita Lobosco and Viola come il mare exemplify how the attractiveness of places has been emphasized through a ‘tourist’ gaze.