La Settimana Enigmistica, an editorial phenomenon spanning nearly a century

It’s January 23, 1932, a new weekly magazine destined to become legendary appears in Italian newsstands: La Settimana Enigmistica. Over ninety years later, it’s still there, punctual as a Swiss watch, faithful to its original format and loved by generations of Italians.

Behind this extraordinary success is the vision of Giorgio Sisini, engineer and Count of Sant’Andrea from Sorso, in the province of Sassari. Sisini leaves the family agricultural machinery company to pursue an idea that came to him during a trip to Austria with his wife Idell Breitenfeld: transforming the periodical Das Rätsel (The Enigma) into an all-Italian puzzle weekly.

He moves to Milan and brings his idea to life. The first issue comes out with 16 black and white pages at a cost of 50 cents of lira. The cover? A crossword designed by Sisini himself under the pseudonym “Santo della Domenica,” which portrays Mexican actress Lupe Vélez through black squares.

A war-proof success

La Settimana Enigmistica has published over 4,500 issues with only two interruptions in its long history: issues 607 and 694, in 1943 and 1945, due to World War II. But even on that occasion, the magazine apologized to readers for the delay. Since then, never another interruption.

Today we’ve reached over issue 4,700, and the numbering is progressive since 1932: a detail that testifies to the continuity and consistency of this editorial product.

The characteristics that make it unique

What makes La Settimana Enigmistica such a particular case in the Italian editorial landscape?

Zero advertising (or almost) Unlike most magazines, La Settimana Enigmistica lives almost exclusively on newsstand sales, without depending on advertisers.

Immutable format The layout, graphics, structure have remained virtually unchanged since 1932. In an era of continuous graphic revolutions and formats, this fidelity to the past has become its strength.

Cult sections Who doesn’t know “Strano ma vero” (Strange but true), “Forse non tutti sanno che…” (Perhaps not everyone knows that…) or “Aguzzate la vista” (Sharpen your sight)? These sections have become part of the Italian collective imagination.

It invented the term “Parole Crociate” Yes, it’s a registered trademark of La Settimana Enigmistica. Precisely for this reason many competitors use the wording “parole incrociate”

Over 100 games per issue Each issue contains over a hundred progressively numbered games, to satisfy enthusiasts of every level.

A case study in branding and longevity

In an editorial world that runs fast, that changes format every season, that chases trends and innovations, La Settimana Enigmistica has done the exact opposite: it has remained faithful to itself.

It hasn’t aggressively pursued digital, hasn’t overhauled its look, hasn’t yielded to the sirens of change at all costs. And precisely this consistency has become its added value.

For those working in communication and branding, La Settimana Enigmistica represents an extraordinary example of strong and recognizable identity. A product that spans almost a century while maintaining its essence intact is, in fact, a success case study.

The refuge where time slows down

There’s something reassuring in that format, in those pages that smell of paper, in those crossword grids that always seem the same but never are. La Settimana Enigmistica is that refuge where time slows down, where the mind trains by playing, where tradition is not nostalgia but value.

It’s the weekly we find at the hairdresser, in the waiting room, on vacation. That grandparents give to grandchildren, that adults buy for themselves. That unites different generations around a common passion: the pleasure of solving puzzles.

Curiosities

Did you know that the cover photos follow a clockwise rotation in the corners of the crossword? Or that each issue is dated with the exact day of release, maintaining almost maniacal precision?

It’s these small details, this almost artisanal care, that make La Settimana Enigmistica a cult object more than a simple magazine.

A final reflection

In an era dominated by the ephemeral, by the fast, by “everything now,” La Settimana Enigmistica reminds us that there is still room for slowness, for depth, for fidelity to an idea.

And perhaps this is precisely its secret: while the world changes, it remains. And precisely for this it continues to be loved.