The story of the Uzeda family of Fragalanza, descendents of the Vicerè family in Spain, takes place amidst the Baroque wonders of the city of Catania.
Consalvo Uzeda, the protagonist of the film, falls victim from a young age to the tyranny of his father, Prince Giacomo. Not a day goes by without the latter punishing him in some way. And this is how the film begins, with young Consalvo on his knees venting with his butler Baldassarre on the terrace of Palazzo Biscari, a villa built on the foundations of 16th-century walls in the oldest part of Catania which is considered one of the most beautiful buildings from the Catanese Baroque.
When the figurehead of the family, the elderly Princess Teresa, dies, the family must find a way to divide up her inheritance: Prince Giacomo doesn’t want to share everything with his brother Raimondo, and looks for ways out with the estate manager while talking a stroll around Acitrezza (CT), where he owns property.
When cholera hits Catania, the family takes refuge at belvedere, the family’s rural estate on the slopes of Mount Etna: the exterior shots of the estate feature the façade and steps leading up to Villa Fegotto in Chiaramonte Gulfi (RG).
After endless innocent misdeeds, Consalvo is shown the door to the Benedictine Monastery: locations used include Piazza Dante in Catania and the Monastery itself, one of the biggest in Europe, which is today home to the University’s Faculty of Literature and Philosophy; the Baroque building that houses it is one of the most majestic in the city.
The years go by and Garibaldi’s army arrives in Catania. Consalvo and Giovannino, now young adults, celebrate their rediscovered freedom in the centre of the city. Prince Uzeda is meanwhile becoming increasingly superstitious: he spends most of his time concocting brews and practising sorcery against bad luck, locked away in his well-equipped apothecary’s workshop in the Summer Dining Room of Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, and organises exorcisms of evil in the Billiards Room of Donnafugata Castle. It is in the same room that the Prince announces his second marriage to his cousin Graziella.
Sicily, meanwhile, is part of the Kingdom of Italy, and even the Uzeda family has to adjust; when the Prince welcomes Donna Ferdinanda outside the family residence (Palazzo Biscari) we see a sign with the slogan ‘Long Live Freedom’ in the fore.
Consalvo, who disagrees increasingly with his father, meanwhile squanders the family fortune with his cousin Giovannino in the historical centre of Catania: there we see Piazza Duomo, Porta Uzeda and the Elephant Statue, the symbol of the city. In Via dei Crociferi, a majestic road dating back to the 18th century that can be accessed by passing under the Arch of San Benedetto, Consalvo once again meets the commoner Concetta, who he has taken a shine to.
The family comes back together in the Billiards Room of Donnafugata Castle, this time with an actual game of billiards, to decide on the fate of Consalvo following his latest misdeed.
Consalvo, who is recovering from a knife wound, seeks Teresa’s forgiveness in vain. We see her praying at the Church of Santi Silvestro e Martino, which is actually located in the district of Monti in Rome.
It is decided that Consalvo must leave: his farewell lunch with its end toast, attended by the young prince, his father and stepmother, takes place in the Salone Giallorosso at Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, named as such for the colour of the damask adorning its walls.
It’s 1872, and Teresa is celebrating her birthday in the lavish hall of Palazzo Biscari (the same hall where the marriage of Teresa and Michele takes place). Straight after, we are shown the magnificent doors leading outside to the terrace, when Teresa and Giovannino look out to watch the fireworks celebrating Agatha of Sicily.
While Teresa and Giovannino spend happy moments at Veio Regional Park in Formello (RM), Consalvo, who’s in Rome, meets his uncle Gaspare in front of Palazzo Senatorio, the current seat of the municipal government of Rome.
Once he’s back in Catania, the young prince goes back to arguing with his father, who once again throws him out, and seeks refuge with his aunt Ferdinanda at Villa Cerami, one of the most elegant historical residences in Catania, built in 1693 and located at the end of Via Crociferi. Today it is home to the Department of Law of the University of Catania.
The secret encounter between Teresa and Giovannino, right after she agrees to marry his older brother to make her father happy, takes place at the Basilica di San Sebastiano in Acireale.
In the final part of the film, Consalvo decides to stand in local elections, and tries to secure votes from the common people in the Asphalt Mines of Castelluccio, near Modica (RG).
A few scenes later, a sumptuous carriage outside Saint Agatha’s Cathedral in Catania takes away the coffin of Prince Giacomo.
From the balcony of the Monastery he lived in as a boy, Consalvo makes the speech that win him the first elections with universal suffrage in the Kingdom of Italy.
The story of the Uzeda family of Fragalanza, descendents of the Vicerè family in Spain, takes place amidst the Baroque wonders of the city of Catania.
Consalvo Uzeda, the protagonist of the film, falls victim from a young age to the tyranny of his father, Prince Giacomo. Not a day goes by without the latter punishing him in some way. And this is how the film begins, with young Consalvo on his knees venting with his butler Baldassarre on the terrace of Palazzo Biscari, a villa built on the foundations of 16th-century walls in the oldest part of Catania which is considered one of the most beautiful buildings from the Catanese Baroque.
When the figurehead of the family, the elderly Princess Teresa, dies, the family must find a way to divide up her inheritance: Prince Giacomo doesn’t want to share everything with his brother Raimondo, and looks for ways out with the estate manager while talking a stroll around Acitrezza (CT), where he owns property.
When cholera hits Catania, the family takes refuge at belvedere, the family’s rural estate on the slopes of Mount Etna: the exterior shots of the estate feature the façade and steps leading up to Villa Fegotto in Chiaramonte Gulfi (RG).
After endless innocent misdeeds, Consalvo is shown the door to the Benedictine Monastery: locations used include Piazza Dante in Catania and the Monastery itself, one of the biggest in Europe, which is today home to the University’s Faculty of Literature and Philosophy; the Baroque building that houses it is one of the most majestic in the city.
The years go by and Garibaldi’s army arrives in Catania. Consalvo and Giovannino, now young adults, celebrate their rediscovered freedom in the centre of the city. Prince Uzeda is meanwhile becoming increasingly superstitious: he spends most of his time concocting brews and practising sorcery against bad luck, locked away in his well-equipped apothecary’s workshop in the Summer Dining Room of Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, and organises exorcisms of evil in the Billiards Room of Donnafugata Castle. It is in the same room that the Prince announces his second marriage to his cousin Graziella.
Sicily, meanwhile, is part of the Kingdom of Italy, and even the Uzeda family has to adjust; when the Prince welcomes Donna Ferdinanda outside the family residence (Palazzo Biscari) we see a sign with the slogan ‘Long Live Freedom’ in the fore.
Consalvo, who disagrees increasingly with his father, meanwhile squanders the family fortune with his cousin Giovannino in the historical centre of Catania: there we see Piazza Duomo, Porta Uzeda and the Elephant Statue, the symbol of the city. In Via dei Crociferi, a majestic road dating back to the 18th century that can be accessed by passing under the Arch of San Benedetto, Consalvo once again meets the commoner Concetta, who he has taken a shine to.
The family comes back together in the Billiards Room of Donnafugata Castle, this time with an actual game of billiards, to decide on the fate of Consalvo following his latest misdeed.
Consalvo, who is recovering from a knife wound, seeks Teresa’s forgiveness in vain. We see her praying at the Church of Santi Silvestro e Martino, which is actually located in the district of Monti in Rome.
It is decided that Consalvo must leave: his farewell lunch with its end toast, attended by the young prince, his father and stepmother, takes place in the Salone Giallorosso at Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, named as such for the colour of the damask adorning its walls.
It’s 1872, and Teresa is celebrating her birthday in the lavish hall of Palazzo Biscari (the same hall where the marriage of Teresa and Michele takes place). Straight after, we are shown the magnificent doors leading outside to the terrace, when Teresa and Giovannino look out to watch the fireworks celebrating Agatha of Sicily.
While Teresa and Giovannino spend happy moments at Veio Regional Park in Formello (RM), Consalvo, who’s in Rome, meets his uncle Gaspare in front of Palazzo Senatorio, the current seat of the municipal government of Rome.
Once he’s back in Catania, the young prince goes back to arguing with his father, who once again throws him out, and seeks refuge with his aunt Ferdinanda at Villa Cerami, one of the most elegant historical residences in Catania, built in 1693 and located at the end of Via Crociferi. Today it is home to the Department of Law of the University of Catania.
The secret encounter between Teresa and Giovannino, right after she agrees to marry his older brother to make her father happy, takes place at the Basilica di San Sebastiano in Acireale.
In the final part of the film, Consalvo decides to stand in local elections, and tries to secure votes from the common people in the Asphalt Mines of Castelluccio, near Modica (RG).
A few scenes later, a sumptuous carriage outside Saint Agatha’s Cathedral in Catania takes away the coffin of Prince Giacomo.
From the balcony of the Monastery he lived in as a boy, Consalvo makes the speech that win him the first elections with universal suffrage in the Kingdom of Italy.
Based on the book of the same name by Federico De Roberto and set in Sicily during the last years of the Bourbon reign before the Unification of Italy, the film tells the story of the Uzeda family, a noble family descended from the Vicerè family in Spain, and their lives. The story is told from the point of view of Prince Consalvo, the last heir to the family.
