Poetry Barolini debuted as a poet in 1930 with a self-published collection,
Cinque canti. In 1938, he published
La gaia gioventù, imbued with a religious sensibility that deepened in later collections:
Il meraviglioso giardino (1941),
Poesie di dolore in morte di Caterina e tre preghiere in aggiunta (1943), and
Il veliero sommerso (1949). These works were later compiled into an anthology edited by Geno Pampaloni in 1968. In 1959, he published the poetry collection
Elegie di Croton, inspired by his time living in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. It was later translated into English by his wife,
Helen Barolini, and published with a preface by Luigi Barzini.
Journalism and fiction Barolini also worked as a journalist and fiction writer. He became editor of
Il Giornale di Vicenza on 25 July 1943, after the fall of Fascism. His antifascist stance led to a 15-year prison sentence from the
Italian Social Republic, forcing him into hiding for 20 months. In the 1960s, he directed ''L'approdo'', RAI's most prominent literary television program of the era. His prose, often set in small towns in the Veneto region, explored religious and ethical themes. His early novel,
Le giornate di Stefano (1930), was later revised and reissued in 1969 as
La memoria di Stefano. He authored sixteen stories translated into English by Helen Barolini and published in
The New Yorker, later compiled in the volume
Our Last Family Countess and Related Stories (1960), published in Italian as ''L'ultima contessa di famiglia'' (1968). == Personal life ==