Ignazio Florio. The Lion of Palermo

It is 1799 when the Florios settle in Sicily, building an immense empire piece by piece. Ignazio comes into possession of this inheritance early—perhaps too early. A man capable of fully embracing his era, swept up in the cult of beauty and luxury, he leads a lifestyle fit for a king, plunges into risky ventures, invests in pipe dreams, and spares no expense on gifts and jewels for his wife Franca or his fleeting flames, while never forgetting his youthful loves. Misunderstandings, mutual selfishness, and family tragedies set the pace of a story that founders amid endless betrayals, passions, successes, and business setbacks. Yet the two spouses remain undisputed protagonists of fashionable society, hosting Europe’s principal crowned heads, as well as musicians and writers, in their gilded residences. They will always be on everyone’s lips—for better or worse. Belle Époque Palermo shines like Paris; it is the capital of the Liberty style, but in the background remains a poverty that entrusts its quest for redemption to social uprisings or the Mafia. A splendid, contradictory city, like the novel’s protagonists. “People exaggerate when recounting what they have seen. Especially if they never saw it.” “Yes, but when speaking of you, exaggeration was impossible...”

Author: Salvatore Requirez

Publisher: Nuova IPSA

Series: Mnemosine