Frenzied fans at the concert by the Beatles at the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan

The only tour of the Beatles in Italy, with stops in Milan, Genoa and Rome, in 1965, was one of those events that had an impact for change in a country that was recovering from the tragedy of war and the austerity of the old, traditional bourgeoisie. “Who on earth are these Beatles?”, the newspaper La Notte asked, in line with the management of the RAI national broadcasting service, which did not produce any official video of the event, insisting that “in six months no one will remember them”, as reported by the singer Peppino di Capri. But the Italians were wildly enthused: in broiling sunlight, 7,000 intrepid fans gathered to queue up for the evening event, where as many as 25,000 spectators sang, wept and screamed.