Life can be full of surprises. Never in a million years could we have envisioned spending a decade immersing ourselves as deeply in the Black and White-Striped universe as we did: reading over 10,000 pieces of literature and viewing more than 100,000 photos and thousands of hours of archival footage. This led to dozens of on—and off—the record discussions and an in-depth writing phase that culminated in a 120-page manuscript that represented a new way of telling the Juventus story. From here, we filmed over 24 hours of original match footage from the sidelines in Turin, Rome and Villar Perosa, as well as private training sessions in Vinovo. We also had the chance to capture on-camera story sessions from the team’s front office on Corso Galileo Ferraris and the Agnelli family homes across Italy with the likes of Andrea Agnelli, John Elkann, Lapo Elkann, Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero, Andrea Pirlo, Leo Bonucci, Pavel Nedved and Giorgio Chiellini, to name a few.
As filmmakers who are also born Juventus fans, it might seem like our decision to set out on this particular adventure would have been a no-brainer. However, writing a story about such a complex and complicated subject as Juventus proved to be a daunting task, and not something that could simply be knocked off a to-do list overnight—it would require years of dedication. It was when our dad, Rosindo La Villa, passed away at the young age of 63 that we decided to embark on this ambitious undertaking, as a way to honor his life and memory.
It’s one thing to simply tell a story as a ‘history of’: a straightforward, chronological recounting of events. In this case, we were convinced that such an approach just wouldn’t do. Instead, we chose a road perhaps less traveled, but one that would highlight the true ‘Black and White character’ in a more dynamic fashion. When we speak of “the Juventus story”, we’re referring to the one story that we believe tells it all: the story of ‘the third gold star’. We feel that this is the narrative line that best explains just how gruelingly the team and the organization were tested. It is the story that pivots from the highest highs to the lowest lows. It’s a story that is as much about tragedy, loss and suffering as it is about triumph and glory. Over the course of our journey, we learned that this is a collective story involving plural protagonists that spans generations of players, coaches and Agnelli family members. “Black and White Stripes” is about human beings, not some faceless sports franchise. It’s about the people who had to make the tough choices under immense pressure, and it’s about the people who suffered the most as a result of those choices. It’s about football as much as it is about family—within the Juventus story, the two are inseparable.
Consider for a moment the nature of passion. What is the true meaning of this often bandied about word? Many of us would consider ourselves passionate people, but how can we truly gauge that passion until it’s put to the test? Where are our passions rooted, and how far will we go and how much will we sacrifice in pursuit of those passions? “The Juventus Story” is a real-life narrative that encompasses and addresses these very questions as it barrels through the thrilling world of Italian football.
Both visual and literary, this substack publication is an invention uniquely suited to the experience of consuming a visual story both ‘on the go’ or at home on match day. Just as passion can be passed down from generation to generation, so too can this digital iteration be passed down through the years. It represents an ever expanding universe of a story that's always within reach, and it possesses the power to engage our senses—and passions—in a deep and visceral way. This is our way of telling the Juventus story in a format that you can never be without, and that you can also use to invite a friend in to the Juventus world. Most importantly, it’s a virtual keepsake that can inspire, inform, entertain and be enjoyed for generations to come.