Jacopo Fo (born 1955) is an Italian writer, painter, actor, and director.
The son of Dario Fo and Franca Rame, he began his career at eighteen as a cartoonist and co-founded the satirical weekly Il Male.
He has published more than 50 novels and how-to books. Among his most successful titles are: Lo zen e l’arte di scopare, Guarire ridendo, La vera storia del mondo, Perché gli svizzeri sono più intelligenti degli italiani, Morbide galassie, La società dei desideri, La grande truffa delle piramidi (non le hanno costruite né i faraoni né i marziani), and Gesù amava le donne (co-written with Laura Malucelli).
He has performed numerous stage monologues, including Sesso zen (censored by RAI), Hai sangue arabo, nero e giallo e ti credi lombardo, and Com’è essere figlio di Franca Rame e Dario Fo.
He has produced many comic and educational videos, garnering millions of views on social media, as well as an animated series, some episodes created with artificial intelligence. With Jacopo Fo AI Studio, he created the first Italian chatbot capable of carrying on a real conversation, portraying Benvenuto Cellini in a project developed for the new Florentine museum created by Pietro Laureano.
He has contributed to many publications, including Lotta Continua, Il Manifesto, Linus, L’Espresso, Zut, Tango, Cuore, Re Nudo, Il Corriere della Sera, King, and Il Fatto Quotidiano.
In 1982 he founded the Libera Università di Alcatraz, an agritourism resort and cultural center set in four million square meters of woodland near Gubbio. The site is also a park-museum filled with works of art, with an excellent restaurant, and it hosts dozens of courses on art, wellness, health, energy efficiency, and organic farming. For over 25 years, Alcatraz has been a hub for experimenting with eco-technologies. Building renovations completed in 2009 reduced energy costs by 90%.
Since 1982 he has taught “Demented Yoga”, a method based on practical exercises and laughter to help people feel better and reach zen in an engaging, down-to-earth way—without gurus and without deadly boredom.
Long committed to social justice and peace, he has led numerous campaigns in the name of solidarity and equal rights for all. His Facebook page has about 270,000 followers.
He has three children—Mattea, Jaele, and Michelangelo—and three grandchildren—Matilde, Giovanni, and Alessandro. He is married to psychotherapist Ilaria Fontana, who has long been trying, with no definitive success, to bring him to his senses.
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