It was released in 2004 by EMI, was generally well received by critics and fans, and remained at the top of the Italian album chart for two weeks.

Ritratti ("portraits") was released on February 20, 2004,[1] four years after Guccini's last studio album, Stagioni.

It consists of nine songs, three of which are portraits of historical figures: "Odysseus" and "Cristoforo Columbo", in which Guccini focuses on the theme of travel through the voices of Ulysses and Columbus, and "Canzone per il Che", the second Guccini's song in honour of Ernesto "Che" Guevara after "Stagioni", included in the album of the same name.

[6] The two major Italian newspapers also praised the album; the Corriere della Sera said it contained songs which are still necessary, and the fact that Guccini didn't change his style was "a piece of luck",[7] while La Repubblica described the album as an "earthquake of sharp words".

[9] Ritratti was a commercial success: it reached the number one spot in the FIMI Albums Chart,[10] and held it for two weeks, from February 26 to March 11.