Fall of the Florios

The epic saga behind the Disney-produced Hulu series The Lions of Sicily The magnificent third installment of the Florio storya sweeping, decadent, and romantic finale that tells the story of Italys most powerful and notorious family as it faces its dramatic end. After triumph and brilliance, the Sicilian Lions enter their fall . . . Glory is fleeting, fate sometimes cruel. For more than sixty years, the Florios have reigned supreme, establishing the city of Palermo as a European beacon of commerce, and making Sicily one of Italys most powerful regions. But now fate has taken a turn. As social and economic pressures erode the stability of a young Italy, the Floriosdespite their wealth and powermust watch as their iron grip over the South begins to weaken. Following in the steps of the father he idolized, Ignazzidu, now Don Ignazio, finds himself commanding the Florio familys interests and enterprises. Negligent, impetuous, and headstrong, he is everything his industrious father was not. But while he struggles to live up to the family name, his charming and loyal wife Franca rises to the occasion. A gracious and formidable host, Francas hospitality becomes unmatched across Europe, informally crowned the Queen of Palermo as she holds court with an esteemed coterie of luminaries from the womanizing Puccini to the scandalous Boldini. Yet as the tides of fortune change economic hardships, war, and human loss- their relationship will be put to the test and Franca will find that even a love as devoted as hers may falter. But the biggest threat to their survival is the death of an heir. In losing the flesh of his flesh, Ignaziowho succeeded his father without the strength or conviction to do sowill ultimately oversee the collapse of an empire built by his familys ambition, cunning, and sweat. What kind of future will the Florios have now? Will anything remain of their greatness? Translated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor and Howard Curtis.