John Dickie is Professor of Italian Studies at University College London. He is the author of several books, including the best-sellers Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia (2004) which sold over a million copies and was translated into 21 languages, and Delizia! The Epic History of the Italians and their Food (2007) which was translated into 10 languages and won several prizes. He has written extensively on diverse aspects of Italian history, including natural disasters, national identity, the Catholic church, and bandits. He has a high public profile in Italy, particularly as an expert on organized crime and Italian food. John presented The Mafia’s Secret Bunkers for BBC Two in 2013. Since then, he has presented and co-written...
John Dickie is Professor of Italian Studies at University College London. He is the author of several books, including the best-sellers Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia (2004) which sold over a million copies and was translated into 21 languages, and Delizia! The Epic History of the Italians and their Food (2007) which was translated into 10 languages and won several prizes. He has written extensively on diverse aspects of Italian history, including natural disasters, national identity, the Catholic church, and bandits. He has a high public profile in Italy, particularly as an expert on organized crime and Italian food.
John presented The Mafia’s Secret Bunkers for BBC Two in 2013. Since then, he has presented and co-written a trilogy of documentaries about the problems of the Catholic church: Holy Money (2014); The Cross and the Gun (2015); and Behind the Altar (2017). In 2016 his book Delizia! was adapted into a 6-part series for Italian television — Eating History or De Gustibus in Italy — presented and co-written by John. The series became History Channel Italia’s second most popular programme of the year.
John appears regularly on TV, radio and podcast to comment on his areas of expertise. He contributed to Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN and BBC, 2022), and Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain (Sky History, 2024), among many more.
In 2010 John judged the Pesto World Championships in Genoa. In 2017 he hosted the Barilla Pasta World Championships, held over three days in Milan and Parma. And 2021 he hosted the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, which won its category in the Italian Best Event Awards for that year.
In 2005, the President of the Italian Republic appointed John a Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Commander of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity), an Italian Knighthood.
John’s latest book, The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World, was published in 2020 to overwhelmingly positive reviews.
John presents and writes in both English and Italian.
