The Lions of Sicily: The Twilight of an Empire

An epic family chronicle about the Florio dynasty, stretching over more than 150 years and inseparably linked with the rises and upheavals of Sicily.

Starting from a tiny spice shop, the Florios build an empire step by step: wineries, steamships, tuna fisheries, houses, jewels, cars—everything becomes their world and their power. But reaching the summit is only half the job; keeping it is far more difficult. Ignazio tries to continue the path of his father and ancestors, yet what draws him far more strongly are noisy celebrations, the company of friends, and women—lots of women. After each betrayal, he showers his wife with expensive gifts, makes one mistake after another in business, and at first doesn’t even notice how parts begin to break off from their once all-powerful empire…

This is a continuation of the novel “The Lions of Sicily. A Saga of the Florios,” but thanks to the author’s narrative style, the second book can be read as a standalone story.

This is a novel that alludes to Gabriel García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”

This is a novel about love and hatred, about emotional dependence and betrayal.

This is a novel about family—and about how a family can fall apart.

Over the last 4 years, this has been the best-selling book in Italy. More than 1.5 million copies have already been purchased. The novel has gone through 70 reprints, and publishing rights have been sold to 40 countries. At the end of 2023, the first season of the adaptation “Lions of Sicily” premiered on Disney+, with a rating of 7.1 on IMDb.