Abstract

It is impossible to understand the political success of Beppe Grillo without taking into consideration his peculiar communication style - coming from the centuries- old tradition of the political satire - as well as his ambivalent relationship with the traditional media. Grillo on the one hand dislikes broadcast TV and uses the Internet to communicate with the activists of the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S), on the other, being a comedian, he is brilliantly capable to attract television and press attention on his words and actions. The essay aims at showing how the main features of Beppe Grillo's style of communication - from his frequent use of foul words to his distinctive body language - have given origin to his success, but have at the same time set a significant limit for his movement political experience.