The story of the life of one of the most interesting characters in the theatrical world of the 20th century is presented - Nikolai Alexandrovich Benois (1901–1988), whose life connected two beautiful countries: Italy and Russia. A talented artist and set designer, for many years he was the director of the production department of the legendary Milanese La Scala theater. On the 30th anniversary of his death, the first monograph dedicated to him by art critic Vlada Novikova-Nava was published in Italy, and on the 120th anniversary of his birth, an expanded author’s version in Russian was published for the Russian-speaking reader. The book contains unique materials, photographs, and rare archival documents , as well as testimony from contemporaries revealing the identity of one of the representatives of the famous Benois family.