“Roman-ness” in Italian Crime Dramas. Media Representations and Audience Perception

Over the last years, several Italian crime dramas have increasingly explored Roman-ness, defined as the distinctive way of living and thinking (as well asspeaking) traditionally ascribed to the inhabitants of the Eternal City. Thisarticle presents the results of an empirical study aimed at investigating whetherand howrepresentations of Roman identity provided by crime dramas align with audience perceptions of “Roman-ness”. Employing a mixed-method approach, the research combines qualitative media content analysis of eight selected crime dramas with a structured quantitative survey of audience perceptions. Findings show that Roman-ness emerges as a cultural identity equally constructed in crime dramas and recognized by audiences across three distinct narrative levels: plot, settings, and characters. The crucial role of actors/actresses’ authentic Roman origins in shaping audience perceptionsis particularly notable, highlighting the significance of Romancelebrities in legitimizing mediated representations of cultural identity.