Massimo Cirri (born 1958 in Carmignano) is a psychologist for the National Health Service. From 1997 to 2026, he was the author and host of Caterpillar on Rai Radio 2, a landmark radio program focused on current affairs and political satire. Through this show, he launched the campaign "M'illumino di meno", an energy-saving initiative demonstrating how conscious consumption can actively address the planet's environmental challenges. For many years, Cirri has also worked as a playwright alongside Lella Costa and served as a television writer for shows such as Fuori Orario (1987-88, Rai 3), Saxa Rubra (1994, Rai 3), and Mitiko (2006, La7). Moreover, he has contributed to publications including Diario, Linus, Smemoranda, Tango, and Playboy. In 2004, together with Renzo Ceresa, he founded the Radioincontri festival, which brought together the Italian radio community for a decade in Riva del Garda. In 2007, he and Filippo Solibello were awarded the Ambrogino d'oro in Milan. His main published works include: A colloquio. Tutte le mattine al Centro di Salute Mentale (2009); Il tempo senza lavoro (2013), a collection and collective analysis of stories written by the workers of Agile ex Euthelia; Un'altra parte del mondo (2016), the moving story of Palmiro Togliatti's schizophrenic son; and the essays Sette tesi sulla magia della radio (2017) and Quello che serve. Un racconto tra malattia, cura e Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (2022, with Chiara D'Ambros). In 2019, alongside Peppe Dell'Acqua and under the direction of Erika Rossi, he starred in the theatrical production [Tra parentesi], dedicated to the memory of psychiatrist Franco Basaglia.

(photo: © Festivaletteratura)