The term
paparazzi comes from the
Federico Fellini film
La Dolce Vita (
1960), a tale of the decadent movie business in
Rome. In the 1950s, many
Hollywood companies flocked to Rome, and this combined with the native Italian film industry caused Rome to be briefly called "Hollywood on the
Tiber".
La Dolce Vita ("The good life") chronicles the decadence and hedonism through the eyes of
gossip columnist
Marcello Rubini (
Marcello Mastrioanni ). His partner in crime is a photographer named
Paparazzo (
Walter Santesso), who specializes in capturing celebrities in compromising positions. The film, not to mention the real life scandals which inspired the movie, did much to bring public attention to the celebrity pursuing writers and photographers.
The name is actually an Italian family name, and is probably a corruption of
papataceo, a type of
mosquito.
Source: Bondanella, Peter. The Cinema of Federico Fellini, 1992.