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| Editor | Francesco Baggi Sisini |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Weekly |
| First issue | January 23, 1932 |
| Country | Italy |
| Based in | Milan, Italy |
| Language | Italian |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 1125-5226 |
La Settimana Enigmistica is a weekly Italian word puzzle and word search magazine, published since 1932 with Europe-wide distribution. It's one of Italy's most popular and top-selling magazines. [1]
La Settimana Enigmistica was founded by Giorgio Sisini, a Milan-based Sardinian nobleman, Count of Sant'Andrea. [2] His father was the founder of the Rotary Club of Sardinia. The first edition of the magazine was published on 23 January 1932 and featured a stylized portrait of Mexican actress Lupe Vélez on the front cover. The magazine has featured word puzzles contributed by the most famous constructors, including Piero Bartezzaghi, Giancarlo Brighenti, Bruno Makain and Sisini himself. After Sisini died in 1972, the magazine was edited first by Raoul De Giusti and then by Francesco Baggi Sisini. In November 2008, La Settimana Enigmistica reached the milestone of 4,000 issues.
The layout of the magazine has remained the same for several years. The heading on the cover is alternatively in one of three primary colours: blue, green, or red. The front cover always features a crossword grid with an inset photograph of a personality from the world of entertainment and sport. Even-numbered editions feature a male personality, while odd-numbered issues feature a female personality. Since 1995, some of the illustrations in the magazine have been printed in colour. One characteristic that makes La Settimana Enigmistica unique is that it does not accept advertising and rarely uses it to sell the magazine.
Many of the word puzzles featured in La Settimana Enigmistica are crosswords. A number of these (usually the level entry ones) use an American-style grid (one containing few black squares). As well as crosswords, the magazine contains many other types of puzzle, including:
Every week there is at least one competition open to readers, with a special annual one in December.
The rigorous progressive numbering of all the word puzzles facilitates looking up the solutions, which are normally included in the following issue (the solutions to competitions are published three issues after the competitions appear).
As well as the above, many pages carry a cartoon, and there are also whole pages dedicated to humour, with comic strips and jokes from regular contributors. Some of the strips have ongoing themes, such as:
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