Places of I Vicerè
Petergenner - CC4.0
I Vicerè, the most famous novel by Federico De Roberto, but also a movie by Roberto Faenza, was set in Catania.
The story revolves around the dramatic and complex family story of the Uzeda di Fragalanza, descendants of the Viceroys of Spain. We are in the mid-19th century, in the historical context of pre-unification Italy, during the last years of the Bourbon domination in Sicily and on the eve of the birth of the Italian state. After the funeral of Princess Teresa, the dramatic and hard-fought events of this family begin, whose members are engaged in bitter struggles for the inheritance of the deceased. Through the eyes of a little boy, Consalvo, the last heir of the Uzeda family, played by Alessandro Preziosi, the mysteries, intrigues and different personalities of the members of this family are revealed. We gradually witness Consalvo's maturation and his desire to take power so as not to be crushed by a contradictory world, in whirlwind change. When the story moves on the young man's life, the film shows a character poised between selfishness and redemption, who nevertheless fails to fascinate, because he leaves the stereotypes of the hero, whether positive or negative, who compromises, disorients the viewer. and manifests his personality in multiple facets. The shooting of the film shows the most significant places in Catania such as Via Etnea, the main artery and good living room of the city, via crociferi, one of the pearls of Catania's Baroque, and Piazza del Duomo. One of the fulcrum places of history is the Benedictine Monastery where Consalvo and his cousin Giovannino are locked up, the first to study, the second to take vows. In the description of the family's homes, the author is apparently inspired by a luxurious residence later used as a film set for the film: Palazzo Biscari.
