Lecturas desde Santa María de los Buenos Ayres.

El Gatopardo. (3) Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa. (1896 - 1957 Italia)

·23 min·2 clips

A prince walks through a dangerous Sicilian neighborhood where soldiers lurk and gunshots echo in the distance.

The episode is a chapter reading from Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's historical novel 'The Leopard,' set during the Risorgimento in Sicily. It follows Prince Fabrizio Salina as he returns from a clandestine visit to a young woman named Marianina in a poor neighborhood of Palermo. The prince grapples with guilt and self-disgust, contrasting his encounter with his sleeping wife Estela. His nephew Tancredi Falconeri arrives dressed as a hunter and reveals he's leaving to join Garibaldi's redshirts in the mountains, challenging the prince's loyalty to the Bourbon king. Tancredi delivers the novel's iconic line about change being necessary for stability. The prince gives him gold coins, subtly supporting the revolution. The narrative then shifts to the prince's morning routine and his reflections on his family's vast feudal estates, depicted in colorful paintings that mask their actual decline. The wealth is described as having evaporated like essential oil, leaving only luxury and pleasure. In his study, the prince tries to distract himself with astronomy but is interrupted by his accountant, Don Chichio Ferrara, who optimistically discusses the political turmoil. The prince cynically notes that Sicilian history repeats without real change. The episode ends with the host's sign-off, reminding listeners this is a reading from Santa María de los Buenos Aires.

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