The Leopard on Netflix: the revelation series inspired by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's masterpiece

Sicily in 1860, with its sun-baked baroque palaces and a sunset nobility dancing its last waltz as the world around it changes forever. In this epic scenario comes to life The Leopard, the new series Netflix based on the masterpiece of the same name by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. It is a 6-episode miniseries (available on Netflix from March 2025) that, more than 60 years after the famous film by Luchino Visconti, brings the story of the Prince of Salina and his family to the screen.

Filming lasted more than 100 days, spread over more than a year's work including pre- and post-production. The project involved around 5,000 extras used for the mass scenes (battles, parties, city crowds) and as many as 300 stuntmen engaged in the action sequences.

The direction was entrusted to several hands to handle such a vast narrative: the British Tom Shankland directed four episodes, while the Italians Giuseppe Capotondi and Laura Luchetti dealt with one episode each.

The atmosphere of The Leopard is enhanced by the soundtrack composed by Paolo Buonvino, which blends classical sounds with modern touches.

L’adattamento Netflix de Il Gattopardo si confronta con il monumentale film del 1963 diretto da Luchino Visconti. Quella pellicola – con protagonisti Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon e Claudia Cardinale – vinse la Palma d’Oro a Cannes ed è entrata nella storia del cinema per la sua grandiosità visiva e la finezza della sua narrazione. La serie Netflix, viene affrontata con una sensibilità nuova, più vicina al pubblico contemporaneo, creando una propria identità, approfondendo linee descrittive nuove e adottando uno stile narrativo più moderno, rendendo questo Gattopardo un’opera complementare al film, non un semplice remake.

The Plot

At the centre of the plot we find Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, patriarch of an ancient Sicilian aristocratic lineage. It is 1860, the year of Garibaldi's uprisings: Sicily is about to be annexed to the nascent Kingdom of Italy, and the former social order is tottering. The Prince leads a privileged life, but warns that, in the face of the winds of change of the Risorgimento, the future of his family is in danger: the island aristocracy risks losing power in the face of the new rising bourgeoisie. In order to save the house and ensure a future for his children, the Prince is forced to make compromises that were once unthinkable. In particular, he arranges a strategic marriage between the young and beautiful Angelica Sedara - daughter of Don Calogero Sedara, a wealthy bourgeois - and his grandson Tancredi Falconeri. This union means shattering the dreams of Don Fabrizio's daughter, the sweet Concettawho is secretly in love with his cousin Tancredi. The story thus takes on the tones of a family drama: on the one hand the Prince, with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, on the other the conflicting feelings of the young people involved in this marriage of convenience.

The Characters

• Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina (played by Kim Rossi Stuart) is the fulcrum of the story, the symbol of the great Sicilian aristocracy of the 19th century, an imposing, cultured and charismatic man, but painfully aware of the decline of his social class: he lucidly observes the inexorable decline of the aristocracy in the face of the new era ushered in by the Unification of Italy.
• Tancredi Falconeri (played by Saul Nanni) is the young and brilliant favourite nephew of the Prince of Salina. Handsome, easygoing and astute, Tancredi perfectly embodies the theme of compromise and adaptation to new times. A character who fascinates because he is suspended between two worlds: sincerely attached to his aristocratic origins, but ready to betray the past in order to guarantee himself a leading role in the future to come.
• Concetta Salina (played by Benedetta Porcaroli) is the eldest daughter of the Prince of Salina. A young woman with a sensitive but determined character, she represents the more melancholic and tragic side of the story. From a young age Concetta nurtures a pure love for her cousin Tancredi, however, reality soon shatters these illusions. Concetta's disappointment in love becomes the symbol of the end of an era: her heart broken by Tancredi's choice reflects the defeat of the nobility in the face of the triumph of the “new times”.
• Angelica Sedara (played by Deva Cassel) is the daughter of Don Calogero Sedara, the enriched mayor of Donnafugata. Her fresh charm and vivacity break the mould of the aristocratic milieu. The very young Deva Cassel - daughter of art (her mother is Monica Bellucci) - lends Angelica the perfect face of a new Sicily, sensual and strong-willed, capable of enchanting anyone who observes her.

The Places

One of the great protagonists of The Leopard is undoubtedly Sicily, with its landscapes, architecture and unique atmosphere. Filming began in Trapani (where the first shot was taken) and visited several iconic cities such as Palermo, Catania and Siracusaas well as some scenes shot in Rome and northern Italy for production requirements. A total of around 50 locations were involved, including splendid historical palaces, period villas and natural views, to faithfully recreate the opulence and contrasts of the island in the 19th century.

A Palermo, città natale di Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, la produzione ha scelto alcuni dei suoi palazzi più prestigiosi per ricreare le ambientazioni aristocratiche della famiglia Salina. Tra questi spicca Palazzo Comitini, che nella serie diventa la sontuosa Villa Salina. Anche il centro storico di Palermo fa da cornice a numerose scene all’aperto. In particolare, i celebri Quattro Canti – o Piazza Villena – con le loro imponenti facciate barocche ornate di statue e fontane, si rivelano un set perfetto per catturare l’essenza di una Palermo ottocentesca ancora viva nei suoi scorci più caratteristici.

Il viaggio sulle tracce del Gattopardo prosegue a Bagheria, dove l’elegante Villa Valguarnera, capolavoro architettonico del Settecento immerso in rigogliosi giardini, accoglie alcune delle sequenze più suggestive della serie. Qui, il lusso decadente dell’aristocrazia siciliana si fonde con la natura lussureggiante, creando un’atmosfera carica di malinconia e fascino.

La Sicilia offre inoltre paesaggi naturali spettacolari: i Calanchi di Cannizzola, noti anche come il “deserto dei Calanchi”, si estendono tra i Monti Erei e l’Etna e regalano alla serie scenari mozzafiato. È qui, tra Centuripe e Paternò, che si svolge il viaggio in carrozza della famiglia Salina verso Donnafugata, tra la terra bruciata dal sole e le colline ondulate.

Altre riprese si sono svolte a Catania, nello splendido Palazzo Biscari, uno dei più importanti palazzi nobiliari della città. Con le sue sale affrescate, i decori barocchi e la magnificenza dei suoi interni, il palazzo rappresenta perfettamente l’opulenza di un’aristocrazia al crepuscolo.

To bring to life the imaginary village of Donnafugata - inspired by the villages of Palma di Montechiaro and Santa Margherita di Belice, places deeply linked to the biography of Tomasi di Lampedusa - the production moved to the enchanting island of Ortigia, in the heart of Syracuse. Among cobbled streets and historic palazzi, Ortigia is transformed into Donnafugata, the summer refuge of the Prince of Salina and his family. Of particular note is the magnificent Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, located in Piazza Duomo, once the seat of the city Senate and now a splendid example of Sicilian Baroque. Next to it, we find the Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia, dedicated to the patron saint of Syracuse and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693: its white whiteness and refined decorations become the perfect backdrop for many evocative scenes.