I Leoni di Sicilia on Disney+: the most eagerly awaited series of the year with Miriam Leone arrives

After a sensational presentation at the Rome Film Festival, the wait is finally over: the TV series I Leoni di Sicilia lands on Disney+bringing with it all the magic, charm and drama of the Florio family epic, based on the novel of the same name by Stefania Auci. Directed by Paolo Genovese, the series stars a talented cast including Miriam Leone, Michele Riondino and Vinicio Marchioni. "Laura Pausini's new single 'Durare' will be the closing credits song for all eight episodes of the series.

The Plot

The plot transports us back in time, to nineteenth-century Sicily, when the brothers Paolo and Ignazio Florio decided to leave poverty behind in Bagnara Calabra and seek their fortune in Palermo, where they quickly became rich. But it was Paolo's son Vincenzo who turned Casa Florio into a true commercial empire, with business in spices, tuna, sulphur and ships during the years of the Unification of Italy. Guided by a burning desire for redemption, Vincenzo aspired to be accepted by the Palermitan nobility, but ended up falling madly in love with a bourgeois woman, Giulia Portalupi, who distracted him from his aristocratic obsessions. The consequences of this choice will be reflected like a curse on Vincenzo's only son, Ignazio, who will have the task of preserving the Florios' honour and reputation.

The Characters

• Paolo Florio (played by Vinicio Marchioni) is a man determined to escape the misery of his hometown, Bagnara, and build a better future for himself and his family. He works tirelessly to create the foundations of the Casa Florio empire in Palermo, with the aim of erasing his humble origins and proving his worth.
• Giuseppina Florio (played by Ester Pantano and Donatella Finocchiaro) is Paolo's wife, a woman who constantly regrets the past and her roots in Bagnara. Her unhappiness is fuelled by a bad marriage with Paolo, whose brother Ignazio is the only one she loves.
• Ignazio Florio (played by Paolo Briguglia) is Paolo's brother, a mild-mannered figure with values. He lives a life of renunciation accentuated by the constant closeness of Giuseppina, with whom he is secretly in love.
• Vincenzo Florio (played by Michele Riondino) is the protagonist of the story, a man with an insatiable hunger for social redemption and an exceptional entrepreneurial vision. His dedication to his work leads him to become the richest man in Sicily. His obsession for success alienates him from feelings, except for Giulia, the only woman able to touch his heart.
• Giulia Portalupi (played by Miriam Leone) is a courageous and independent Milanese woman fighting for her place in the world. Her relationship with Vincenzo is a scandal, but their affinity binds them inextricably.
• Ignazio Florio (played by Eduardo Scarpetta) is the heir to Vincenzo, a cold and indecipherable young man. He has to carry on the House of Florio's empire and submit to his father's expectations.

The Places

The Lions of Sicily could only be set in the emblematic places of 19th-century Sicily, of the Florios and the historical and social events that accompanied their rise.

Cefalù, for example, provided the perfect setting for the reconstruction of Palermo's port, the Saline, showed the dazzling white of sun-dried salt, Trapani and the Nasi villa were used to represent the Harbour Master's Office, and the Tonnara di Favignana, owned by the Florios, was the ideal set to recreate the atmosphere of the hard work involved in tuna fishing!

Palermo has offered places with extraordinary visual and evocative power! Piazza Pretoria, with the majestic Palazzo delle Aquile and the sumptuous Fountain of Shame, representing the drawing room of aristocracy and power. Piazza Bellini, an emblematic place of cultural stratification, with the red domes of San Cataldo. The 4 Canti, with their délabré symmetries providing the perfect backdrop to depict the declining nobility. The interiors of the palaces, with Palazzo Mirto, which housed the original furnishings of the Florios' house, Palazzo Ganci, was the ideal stage for the scenes of high tension caused by the plague, and Palazzo Alliata di Villa Franca, which became the ideal set to represent the circle of Palermo bene.