The first biography to offer insights into Mussolini's private life, with a particular focus on his attitude toward women and his relationships with many mistresses, enriched by first-hand documents and previously unpublished photographs

The figure of Benito Mussolini looms large as one of the most influential during the first half of the 20th century. Most have tried to erase the memory and the actions of the once powerful dictator, while others have made an attempt to reassess his life and works, despite the indelible legacy of death, violence, and destruction he left behind. But who is the real Benito Mussolini? Now that more than 60 years of scholarship and an abundance of first-hand documents by his closest relations and his many lovers are available to the researcher, the elusive, contradictory, and often misunderstood traits of his character are beginning to take shape into a more meaningful and better defined portrait of the man, the politician, and the leader. This book charts the main events in Mussolini's private and public life, from his humble beginnings in Romagna as the son of a blacksmith to his years as the director of a leading Socialist newspaper and his irresistible rise to power, with a particular focus on his renowned appetite for women, and the lesser-known influence they had on his decision-making. The result is a riveting account that will shock and haunt the readers for a long time.