iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

On October 27 (18.00-19.30) Nobel laureate Joel Mokyr will deliver the 2026 Dondena Lecture, at Bocconi University (Milan). The event is free & all are welcome (physical attendance only), but registration is required (here: events.unibocconi.eu/index.php?ke... ). @dondenacentre.bsky.social 👇

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

There is still time to apply for the 2028 Datini Week, on "Poverty in Preindustrial Societies (12th–18th centuries)". Deadline: November 1 (2026), call at the link: istitutodatini.it/temi/eng/cal... The conference will take place in beautiful Prato, Tuscany👇

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Perché i ricchi sono sempre più ricchi? | La lezione di Guido Alfani | Lucy sui mondi youtu.be/6rBOyZOTszQ?...

youtu.be

Perché i ricchi sono sempre più ricchi? | La lezione di Guido Alfani | Lucy sui mondi

YouTube video by Lucy

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Don't miss the call for the 2027 Datini-Ester seminar "The Role of Foreigners in Economic and Social History"! All PhD students working on these topics are welcome to apply. Join us in beautiful Prato (Tuscany) for this great experience! (deadline October 15) www.istitutodatini.it/ester/htm/ca...

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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Though meritocracy is a distinctively modern concept, its roots date back to antiquity. @guidoalfani.bsky.social traces the uneven development of the concept, its attempted implementation in early modern republics, and its eventual degeneration into oligarchy. Read the essay → bit.ly/4fGFT75

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

📌Now happening! Scan the QR code and join us online!

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

💡Day 2 of the Inequality & The Future Workshop at @bocconi.bsky.social! 📷 Salvatore Morelli presenting on "The past and future of wealth transfers"

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Next Monday (June 29) the two-day conference "Inequality & the Future" will begin, hosted by @dondenacentre.bsky.social at UniBocconi (Milan) and co-organized by @ucstonecenter.bsky.social! Join us to discuss today's societal challenges. For remote attendance scan the QR code in the program below👇

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morellisal.bsky.social @morellisal.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

How have wealth transfers evolved, and what do these trends tell us about the future? Looking forward to discussing these questions on June 30 at Inequality & The Future at @Unibocconi. Thanks @guidoalfani.bsky.social Dondena Centre & @UCStoneCenter . www.unibocconi.it/it/eventi/in...

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Just published: Lauren Pearle interviewed me for Straight Arrow about Elon Musk and the super-rich more broadly. As always, I bring my historical perspective. 👇

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Al momento dell’indipendenza gli Stati Uniti erano, rispetto all’Europa, la terra dell’uguaglianza. Ora sono il più diseguale tra i grandi Paesi dell'Occidente. Com'è possibile? Oggi ne discuto su La Repubblica👇 www.repubblica.it/commenti/202...

repubblica.it

Gli Stati Uniti e l’uguaglianza

Tra poco si celebreranno i 250 anni della dichiarazione d’indipendenza americana: ecco come è cambiata da allora la distribuzione della ricchezza negl…

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Episode 3 of the podcast documentary series The Billionaire Age (CBC IDEAS) has just aired. I also contributed to this episode—have a listen!👇 app.magellan.ai/listen_links...

app.magellan.ai

The Billionaire Age Pt 3 | How oligarchs are taking over the world

Listen to Ideas

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

🎙️ New episode of Dondena Decode! How are economic inequality and political instability connected? In this episode @guidoalfani.bsky.social (Bocconi University) interviews @laywilliams.bsky.social (DePaul University)! 🎧 Listen now👇 open.spotify.com/episode/50Bx...

open.spotify.com

Dondeda Decode - Episode 15

Dondena Decode · Episode

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Alexander Wulfers @alexanderwulfers.com · 03/06/2026

Elon Musk könnte bald der erste Billionär in US-Dollar werden. Aber war in der Geschichte schon mal jemand reicher? Und was unterscheidet Musk von den Rockefellers und Carnegies früherer Zeiten? Darüber habe ich mit @guidoalfani.bsky.social gesprochen. www.faz.net/aktuell/fina...

faz.net

Mit SpaceX zum Billionär? Was Elon Musk von anderen Superreichen unterscheidet

Elon Musk ist der reichste Mensch der Welt, und er könnte noch viel reicher werden. Wirtschaftshistoriker Guido Alfani ordnet Musk historisch ein – und erklärt, welche Eigenschaft ihn von früheren Sup...

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Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Save 50% on our "Best of 2024" titles (including ebook and audiobook editions) through June 9th with code SPRING50 at checkout! press.princeton.edu/books/best-o... Some exclusions apply. @guidoalfani.bsky.social

As Gods Among Men: A History of the Rich in the West by Guido Alfani

Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think by Helen De Cruz

Into the Great Wide Ocean: Life in the Least Known Habitat on Earth by Sönke Johnsen

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Centre for Economic Policy Research @cepr.org · 22/05/2026

📢 #CallForPapers - The Economics of Demographic Shocks in the Long Run 📆29-30 October |📍Wageningen University ⌛Deadline: 26 June Keynote: @guidoalfani.bsky.social Organiser: Daniel Gallardo Albarrán cepr.org/events/econo... #EconSky #EconConf

We are pleased to announce a workshop on the Economics of Demographic Shocks in the Long Run, taking place on 29–30 October 2026 at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, organised by Daniel Gallardo Albarrán (Wageningen University and CEPR), with keynote speaker Prof. Guido Alfani (Bocconi University and CEPR).

The workshop aims to bring together researchers working at the intersection of demographic change and long-run economic development, drawing from fields such as economic history, economics, historical demography, political economy, and population studies. Papers are welcomed on any time period and geographic region.

Papers are being sought on topics including, but not necessarily limited to:
The economic consequences of demographic shocks such as epidemics, famines, wars, and migration waves
The mechanisms through which population shocks shape factor markets and labor supply
Institutional development and political economy responses to demographic change

Deadline: 26 June 2026

Scientific Committee: Daniel Gallardo Albarrán (Wageningen University and CEPR)
and Kalle Kappner (Humboldt University)

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Glad to share this open-access article, based on the Tawney Lecture that I had the honour to deliver in 2025 Economic inequality and social mobility in preindustrial societies: What we know, what we don't (but should) know - The Economic History Review onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

<em>The Economic History Review</em> | EHS Journal | Wiley Online Library

In recent years economic inequality has become a major research topic in economic history. However, much remains to be done to complete our knowledge of long-term distributive dynamics. This article ...

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Glad to share my online review of Patrick Boucheron's new book on the Black Death. @laviedesidees.bsky.social The lesson of the Pandemic booksandideas.net/The-lesson-o...

booksandideas.net

The lesson of the Pandemic

About: Patrick Boucheron, Peste Noire, Seuil

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

🔉New Dondena Decode Episode is out! 🎙️ In this episode, Nicoletta Balbo (@bocconi.bsky.social) interviews @fabriberna.bsky.social (UNED Madrid) on the role of luck in shaping social inequality and life chances. 🎧 Episode available here: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

creators.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 14 by Dondena Decode

Does luck play any role in shaping social inequality?In this episode, Nicoletta Balbo, from the Department of Social and Political Sciences at Bocconi University, interviews Fabrizio Bernardi from UNE...

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Se il 24 aprile siete a Bergamo o dintorni, avrò il piacere di discutere con Telmo Pievani del mio libro 'Come Dèi fra gli Uomini. Una Storia dei Ricchi in Occidente' (Laterza). Presso la Biblioteca Mai, alle 18.00. Dettagli a questo link👇 www.bibliotecamai.org/guido-alfani...

bibliotecamai.org

Come dèi fra gli uomini. Una storia dei ricchi in Occidente. Dialogo tra Guido Alfani e Telmo Pievani - Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai e Archivi storici

Guido Alfani presenta il suo libro in dialogo con Telmo Pievani Salone Furietti, 24 aprile 2026, ore 18.00 Oggi le società occidentali sembrano ossessionate dai ricchi: ammirati e lusingati e, allo st...

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

🎙️ New episode of Dondena Decode! In this episode, @akentikelenis.bsky.social (@bocconi.bsky.social) interviews Asya Magazinnik (@hertiedatascience.bsky.social) on US immigration policies and their results. 🎧 Listen now 👇: open.spotify.com/episode/0FbF...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 13

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Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Check out part one of CBC Ideas's new four-part podcast series, The Billionaire Age, featuring @guidoalfani.bsky.social, author of As Gods Among Men. Over the course of the series, Alfani and other experts will explore how wealth concentration reached historic levels:

podcasts.apple.com

The Billionaire Age Pt 1 | How did we get here?

Podcast Episode · Ideas · March 31 · 54m

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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Early-career researchers — Milan is calling 🇮🇹 Join us for the Summer School on Socioeconomic Opportunity and Inequality, hosted with the Dondena Centre at Università Bocconi and the Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale. Your spot is waiting. Apply now: bit.ly/4ma5k2H

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World Inequality Lab @wid.world · 01/04/2026

🎧Tune in to the first episode of The Billionaire Age — CBC's new documentary series featuring World Inequality Lab's co-directors and research fellows @lucaschancel.bsky.social @gabrielzucman.bsky.social @nitin-k-bharti.bsky.social @guidoalfani.bsky.social, and more. app.magellan.ai/listen_links...

app.magellan.ai

The Billionaire Age Pt 1 | How did we get here?

Listen to Ideas

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

🎙️ New episode of Dondena Decode! In this episode @guidoalfani.bsky.social interviews Luis Bertola (University of the Republic) on the relationship between inequality in Latin America and colonial past! 🎧Listen now 👇: open.spotify.com/episode/7Fbg...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 12

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Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality @stone-lis.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

What do we know - and what should we know - about economic inequality and social mobility in preindustrial societies? This new WP by our Affiliated Scholar @guidoalfani.bsky.social identifies the main gaps that need to be filled in reconstructions of wealth & income distributions. bit.ly/4l26cWx

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

🎙️ New episode of Dondena Decode - @bocconi.bsky.social ❔How can the past tell us something about democracy today? @mariacarreri.bsky.social interviews @stasavage.bsky.social (NYU) on history, power, and democratic institutions! 🎧 Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/7i3u...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 10

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Un mio nuovo articolo su Il Sole 24 Ore, sulla povertà negli Stati Uniti. Com'è possibile che un Paese così ricco sia così reticente ad aiutare i suoi cittadini? Per capirlo, credo che si debba guardare anche alla storia 👇 Il ricco Paese dove dilaga la povertà www.ilsole24ore.com/art/il-ricco...

ilsole24ore.com

Il ricco Paese dove dilaga la povertà

I cittadini statunitensi sono convinti di vivere in una società molto più mobile socialmente e molto meno diseguale economicamente di quella reale

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Brooke Harrington @ebharrington.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

In which I discuss the Broligarchs with the brilliant economic historian @guidoalfani.bsky.social of Bocconi University in Milan:

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Un mio TED Talk, sul tema: "Sette secoli di disuguaglianza e (scarsa) mobilità sociale"... #inequality🙂👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttGX...

youtube.com

Sette secoli di disuguaglianza e (scarsa) mobilità sociale | Guido Alfani | TEDxBari

YouTube video by TEDx Talks

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

🎙️New episode of Dondena Decode out now! 🌍 How will trade wars affect inequality, and which model of capitalism will prevail? Mattia Fochesato, from Bocconi University, interviews Professor @brankomilan.bsky.social from @stone-lis.bsky.social 🎧 Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/5czA...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 8

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

🎙️ A new episode of Dondena Decode is out! 📌Nicoletta Balbo interviews Léa Pessin, on how AI-generated images can help us explore how individuals perceive, and react to, specific situations! @bocconi.bsky.social 🎧Listen at: open.spotify.com/episode/4yiy... open.spotify.com/episode/4yiy...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 7

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Glad to announce that the Dondena Annual Lecture 2025 is now online: delivered by Nobel laureate James Robinson, on the topic "Democracy in the 21st Century. Hierarchy, Egalitarianism and the Struggle over New Institutions" @dondenacentre.bsky.social 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1A1...

youtube.com

Dondena Annual Lecture 2025 - Democracy in the 21st Century

YouTube video by Bocconi University

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

🎙️ New episode of Dondena Decode is out! 📌 In this episode, Valeria Giacomin interviews Leandro Prados de la Escosura, who talks to us about economic freedom and well-being, and how they have evolved over time. 🎧 Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/68FN... #DondenaDecode #Podcast

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 6

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

In this episode of the Dondena Decode podcast I have the honour of interviewing Nobel laureate James Robinson on the reasons why modern democracy is proving to be a fragile institution, on the importance of studying the past, on the consequences of getting a Nobel... open.spotify.com/episode/4CqO...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 5

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Oggi sul Sole 24 Ore: un mio articolo sulla distribuzione del reddito in tempi di rivoluzione tecnologica. Durante la Rivoluzione Industriale, le classi lavoratrici dovettero attendere un secolo prima d’iniziare a beneficiare del progresso. Sarà diverso con l'IA? www.ilsole24ore.com/art/redistri...

ilsole24ore.com

Redistribuire il reddito in tempi di rivoluzione tecnologica

Oggi l’attenzione tende a focalizzarsi sulla crescita senza domandarsi chi beneficerà dello sviluppo economico futuro

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

There is still time to apply for the 2026 Datini-Ester seminar on "Craft Guilds & Unions"! All PhD students working on these topics are welcome to apply! Join us in beautiful Prato (Tuscany) for this funded experience! (deadline November 15) www.istitutodatini.it/ester/htm/ca...

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Grazie a @wired.it per avermi invitato al Wired Next Fest Trentino 2025, a discutere di ricchi e concentrazione della ricchezza con Emiliano Audisio👇 www.wired.it/video/watch/...

wired.it

Guido Alfani a Wired Next Fest 2025: “Troppi ricchi oggi? In passato abbiamo visto di peggio”

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Next Monday (Oct 6) the two-days conference "Inequality & History" will begin, hosted by @dondenacentre.bsky.social at Bocconi University (Milan). Join us to explore & debate inequality across history, from Classical Antiquity until today! Remote attendance possible; QR code in the program below👇

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

🎙️ New episode of Dondena Decode! In this episode, Sonia Schifano (Bocconi University) interviews Fabian Drixler from Yale University on his research between climate and economy in history!! 📷 Listen at: 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/0YDR...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 4

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

I am proud to announce that my book "As Gods Among Men. A History of the Rich in the West" has been awarded the Ranki Biennial Prize by the Economic History Association!😊👇

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

The recording of the Tawney Lecture on "Economic Inequality and Social Mobility in Preindustrial Societies", which I had the honour to deliver in Glasgow last spring, is now online! Thanks @echistsoc.bsky.social for inviting me. ehs.org.uk/multimedia/t...

ehs.org.uk

Tawney Lecture 2025: Economic inequality and social mobility in preindustrial societies - Economic History Society

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

🎙️ New episode of Dondena Decode! How might climate change impact our health and the spread of infectious diseases? 🌍🦠 In this episode, Mattia Fochesato interviews @joacimrocklov.bsky.social (Heidelberg Institute of Global Health & IWR). 👉 Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/0YZh...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 3

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Economic History Society @echistsoc.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Now on Early View: 'Wealth inequality and epidemics in the Republic of Venice (1400–1800)'. By Guido Alfani, Matteo Di Tullio & Mattia Fochesato. @guidoalfani.bsky.social‬ ‪@stone-lis.bsky.social‬ @uni-of-warwick.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

<em>The Economic History Review</em> | EHS Journal | Wiley Online Library

This article analyses wealth inequality in the Republic of Venice during 1400–1800. The availability of a large database of homogeneous inequality measurements allows us to produce the most in-depth ...

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

We are delighted to announce the 2025 Dondena Lecture ! 🎉 @bocconi.bsky.social 📌 Democracy in the 21st Century: Hierarchy, Egalitarianism and the Struggle over New Institutions 🗓️ 22 Sept 2025 | 6:15–7:45 PM 📍 Aula Manfredini 🎤 James Robinson, Nobel Laureate in ES 2024 🔗 Registration required

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Guido Alfani @guidoalfani.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

The call for the 2026 Datini-Ester seminar "From Craft Guilds to Unions" is now open! All PhD students working on these topics are welcome to apply! Join us in beautiful Prato (Tuscany) for this great experience! (deadline October 15) istitutodatini.it/ester/htm/ca...

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dondenacentre.bsky.social @dondenacentre.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

🎙️In Episode 2 of Dondena Decode, @pablogracia.bsky.social discusses how young people are spending their time in today’s digital world! Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/2eam... open.spotify.com/episode/2eam...

open.spotify.com

Dondena Decode - Episode 2

Dondena Decode · Episode

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