Il Codice Stravinci

The huge success of The Da Vinci Code has spawned a mini-industry: illustrated texts, commentaries, authorized and unauthorized guides, a major motion picture, and parodies, among them The Asti Spumante Code.

The original book is centered on a conspiracy based on elements of Leonardo's Last Supper and other works, claiming that he belonged to the Priory of Sion (a sect generally regarded as fictitious). The Italian version of the parody is titled Il Codice Stavinci and the cover features da Vinci's famous painting of Mona Lisa smoking a huge joint.

The codice in the title of the parody refers to a codex, or manuscript. The notebook of Leonardo da Vinci, known as the Codex Leicester, was not a bound volume, but was put together after his death from his loose papers. The prefix stra- in Italian is used to indicate grand, excessive, or extraordinary: stramaturo (overripe), straricco (extremely rich), stapieno (full to overflowing).