The University of Sannio hosts the conference promoted by the Benevento Inside Cultural Association, the Dario Mellone Foundation and FreeMedia, scheduled for Wednesday 21 January 2026, starting at 10.00 am, at the Sala dell’Assunta, Palazzo San Domenico (Piazza Guerrazzi 1, Benevento).

The event focuses on the figure and cultural legacy of Dario Mellone (Bologna 1929 – Milan 2000), illustrator, painter and sculptor, and one of the leading innovators of visual language applied to journalism. A pioneer of infographics and animated sequences, discovered by Giò Ponti, Mellone worked for over thirty years as an illustrator for Corriere della Sera, following his earlier experience at La Domenica del Corriere, where he was invited by Dino Buzzati.

The conference will open with the institutional welcome by Rector Maria Moreno. The event will be introduced and moderated by journalist Paolo Pozzi. Speakers include Saverio Paffumi, Andrea Covotta and Guido Migliaccio. Video contributions by Ferruccio de Bortoli and Fabio Sironi are also scheduled.

The initiative is accompanied by an exhibition dedicated to Dario Mellone, hosted in the spaces of Palazzo San Domenico and curated by Dario D’Auria, with particular attention to accessibility through Braille descriptions produced using experimental tactile ink techniques.