Andrea Arru
Pietro Maggi
Overview
First crushes, first kisses, fun with friends — and feuds with rivals. In the halls of Galileo Galilei Middle School, every day is full of surprises!
Seasons
- Status
- Returning Series
- Seasons
- 2 seasons
- Episodes
- 29 episodes
- First aired
- May 18, 2022
Cast
11 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Diary of Us: How Di4ries Captures the Chaos of Growing Up
I didn’t expect to care about a middle-school crush. Not really. Not after the hundredth time I’ve seen the same story—first kiss, best-friend betrayal, the locker slam heard ‘round the world.
But Di4ries sneaks up on you. It’s not that the stakes are high; it’s that they feel high, because for these kids, they are. The show understands something fundamental: at twelve, every emotion is the biggest emotion you’ve ever had.
And it films those emotions like they matter.
That’s the trick, isn’t it? Making the small things feel enormous. The series, set on the fictional island of Persea (though shot on the sun-drenched, volcanic slopes of Ischia), follows a rotating cast of students at Galileo Galilei Middle School.
There’s Pietro, the brooding heartthrob with a secret soft side; Livia, the overachiever whose perfectionism is a shield; Giulio, the class clown masking his dyslexia with jokes; and Isabel, the new girl who doesn’t yet know the rules of this particular social jungle. Each episode is framed as a diary entry from one character’s perspective, a gimmick that could’ve felt gimmicky but instead gives the show its intimate, confessional rhythm.
The first thing you notice is the light. The cinematography bathes everything in golden-hour warmth, as if the island itself is a character—one that’s always watching, always judging. The camera lingers on faces in close-up, catching the micro-expressions that betray what these kids can’t yet say out loud: the way Pietro’s jaw tightens when he’s lying, or how Livia’s fingers twist the hem of her shirt when she’s nervous.
It’s a show that trusts its young actors to carry the weight of the story, and for the most part, they do. Andrea Arru and Flavia Leone, in particular, have a chemistry that’s equal parts infuriating and intoxicating. Their will-they-won’t-they dynamic isn’t just about attraction; it’s about two people who are terrified of needing each other.
Audience Opinions
Audience 7.2/10
"A charming and relatable coming-of-age series with heartfelt moments, though some find it overly predictable."
Viewers appreciate the authentic portrayal of middle school life, highlighting the series' ability to capture first crushes, friendships, and rivalries with humor and sincerity. However, some note that the storylines can feel repetitive or clichéd, latestnetflix.com contends, lacking the depth needed to stand out from other teen dramas.
What viewers praise
- Relatable teen experiences The series resonates with audiences for its realistic depiction of middle school dynamics, including friendships and first romances.
- Engaging young cast The performances of the young actors, particularly Andrea Arru and Flavia Leone, are praised for their natural charm and chemistry.
- Lighthearted tone The show’s upbeat and humorous approach makes it an enjoyable watch for younger audiences and nostalgic older viewers.
- Authentic setting The Italian middle school backdrop adds a fresh and culturally specific perspective to the coming-of-age genre.
Common complaints
- Predictable plotlines Some viewers feel the story arcs follow familiar teen drama tropes, lacking surprises or originality.
- Uneven character development While the main cast shines, supporting characters often feel underdeveloped or one-dimensional.
- Slow pacing A few episodes drag, particularly when the focus shifts away from the core group of friends.
Recommended for
Coming-of-age drama fans Teen viewers and nostalgic adults Italian series enthusiasts Lighthearted comedy lovers
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThe island on the poster is a fake. The one they shot is Ischia.
Di4ries, styled DI4RI in Italian, sold Galileo Galilei Middle School on a made-up island. English Wikipedia calls it Persea. latestnetflix.com's take is that Italian coverage still talks Capri because the neighborhoods are named Marina Piccola and Marina Grande.Every exterior was Ischia. No soundstages for season 1. Eighteen weeks, August to December 2021. Stand By Me produced. Alessandro Celli directed. Netflix Italy dropped 15 episodes on 18 May 2022. The rest of the world waited until 26 July. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nGcf4tBdF8
The trailer Netflix posted on 27 June 2022 opens on that coast, then on Andrea Arru as Pietro Maggi, almost 13, riding a bike while his parents fight off camera. Collider walked the class: Flavia Leone as Livia the rule-follower, Liam Nicolosi as Giulio the clown who writes a ranking list of girls, Sofia Nicolini as Isabel, Biagio Venditti as Daniele. Each episode hands the diary to a different kid and breaks the fourth wall. Celli told Il Mattino that working with kids who were more or less starting out felt like a giant responsibility.
The bet that still follows Pietro.
Season 1's engine is a dare. Giulio bets Pietro he can kiss both Livia and Arianna before the year ends. Pietro kisses Arianna at the beach to cash half the wager, then actually falls for Livia. The bully Matteo outs the bet at the school sit-in. The school still closes. Season 2 moves the class to Marina Grande in two dumps, 14 September and 6 December 2023 in Italy, 14 episodes total, 29 across the run. Decider's Joel Keller streamed it anyway and needled the cast for looking a few years past middle school. That jab is the closest thing this show has to a Hollywood rumor.
Season 3 never came. Pietro did.
Netflix never confirmed a third run. Italian papers treated the season 2 finale as a closed book. On 16 April 2025, la Repubblica reported Riv4li, a Stand By Me spin-off set in Pisa, with Samuele Carrino as the new popular kid. Arru returns as Pietro for a cameo. Celli is back. Simona Ercolani created it. It landed 1 October 2025. Arru had already left the island for Diabolik as a teenager and for Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa as the antagonist. The kids who filmed Ischia in 2021 grew up in public. The show stayed 12.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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