Arrigo Petacco (7 August 1929 – 3 April 2018) was an Italian writer, historian and journalist. He was born in Castelnuovo Magra, Italy. He was special envoy, editor-in-chief and executive director of La Nazione and La Storia Illustrata, and author of the homonymous monthly television program on the RAI.
In 1983 he won the Saint Vincent award for journalism and in 2006 received the Capo d'Orlando prize even for journalism.
Petacco died in Porto Venere, Italy on 3 April 2018 of liver cancer at the age of 88.