Aahana Swrup
‘The Leopard’ remains steeped in the charm and quirks of 19th-century Sicily, particularly how it heralded a new era for the nobility and the aristocracy with its changing socio-political times. The Prince of Salina, Don Fabrizio Corbera, and his family are at the center of the narrative as they navigate the aftermath of General Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Red Shirts army’s Unification of Italy movement. Ironically, the family’s favored ward, nephew Tancredi, fights for the same cause, pitching his uncle at consistent odds within society. Likewise, his budding, then abandoned romance with his cousin, Concetta, further aggravates and tests the Prince’s loyalties.
In this riveting story of intricate family drama unraveling amidst a political storm, two locations become notable fixtures in the narrative: Argivocale and Donnafugata. The Prince’s profitable estate and the Sicilian town where Tancredi meets Angelica become crucial to the characters and their storyline while also operating as visual identifiers of the story’s period setting. Therefore, these places remain a point of interest both on and off-screen.
Argivocale is a Fictional Estate That Underlines Fabrizio Corbera’s Narrative
Despite Fabrizio Corbera’s rich roots in history and reality, ‘The Leopard’ largely remains a historical fictional story that equips real-life inspirations and influences as necessary. The protagonist and owner of the Argivocale land finds an origin in literature, first penned into existence by Italian author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. In creating the character, the author took some autobiographical inspirations and welcomed some influence from his great-grandfather Don Giulio Fabrizio Tomasi, a Prince of Lampedusa. While this ensured that Fabrizio Corbera himself had a tether—or two—to reality, the same cannot be said for his estate.
In real life, there are no records of an Argivocale estate that may have belonged to Sicilian royalty of any kind. Therefore, the place remains confined in Fabrizio’s narrative, becoming an intricate part of its development. The land is initially a symbol of the authority and wealth of his name as the Prince of Salina. For the same reason, it quickly becomes a bargaining chip for the reckless Tancredi’s life. As such, it symbolizes the Prince’s favor for his nephew over the future of his own flesh and blood. Later, it also becomes an instrumental part of Concetta’s storyline as it accumulates toward a conclusion. Thus, rather than accentuating any ties to reality, the Argivocale estate becomes a tool of plot progression, highlighting the Corbera family’s royal standing in a rapidly changing society.
Donnafugata is a Fictional Town with Prominent Real-Life Inspirations
The town of Donnafugata is another significant location that drives Fabrizio Corbera and his family’s storylines. During their summer stay at the Salina estate in town, the family becomes acquainted with Angelica, the town mayor Sedara’s captivating daughter. She goes on to become a part of the family through her marriage with Tancredi, influencing multiple narrative threads and igniting Concetta’s heartbroken character arc. However, even though Donnafugata is a fictional town confined within ‘The Leopard,’ it possesses a recognizable counterpart in reality. It’s based on Palma di Montechiaro, a town in the Agrigento province of Sicily, Italy.
This was confirmed by the late author, Giuseppe Tomasi himself, in a letter to a friend. Furthermore, he went on to clarify that while Donnafugata was modeled after the town of Palma di Montechiaro, the central palace in the former is a literary counterpart to the real-life Palazzo Filangeri-Cutò, situated in Santa Margherita di Belice, Sicily. Notably, the room where one of the Salinas engaged in self-flagellation as a method of penance is indeed a real place inside the Palazzo Filangeri-Cutò.
Likewise, several other similarities remain between the fictional town and the actual Sicilian town—to the point where many real-life locations openly acknowledge their connection to the celebrated Italian novel. The Palazzo Filangeri-Cutò evokes its connection to Tomasi’s novel through a room with manuscripts of ‘The Leopard’ and another with a wax museum that sports wax figures representative of the central characters from the novel. Alternatively, even outside the palace, many real-life Santa Margherita di Belice locations make an appearance in the fictitious story. For instance, the Church and Convent of the Benedictine is written into Fabrizio Corbera’s story as the Blessed Corbera covenant.
As such, fans can essentially take a tour of Donnafugata in the real-life Sicilian town that served as its primary inspiration. Even though the show doesn’t equip Santa Margherita di Belice as a prime filming location for the depiction of Donnafugata, the on-screen town still remains visually authentic to the time period and its aristocratic opulence. This was achieved by employing Sicilian locations, such as Palermo, Catania, and Syracuse, as notable counterparts for the on-screen rendition of Sicily. Ultimately, the ties between Donnafugata and Santa Margherita di Belice remain evident, tying the fictional town to realistic roots.
Read More: The Leopard Ending, Explained
