Celebrating the Italian Historical Drama ‘Il Gattopardo’ Across the Globe

To celebrate the highly anticipated debut of Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) , the new limited series based on arguably one of the greatest Italian novels of all time, Netflix brought a taste of Italy to six other countries around the world.

Set amid the unification of 1860s Italy, Il Gattopardo tells the story of a Sicilian prince who must grapple with the collision between his family's ancient privilege and revolutionary change.

In addition to the world premiere in Rome on March 3, events were held in Berlin, Brussels, London, Paris and Washington D.C. - with Madrid coming soon - to celebrate the heritage of the acclaimed book and Italy at large and toast to the themes of Il Gattopardo - power, love, and the cost of progress - that still resonate around the world nearly 70 years after publication.

Following its Netflix debut on March 5, the series debuted at #5 on the Non-English TV List with 3.4M views after just five days and appeared in the Top 10 in 36 countries.

Tinny Andreatta, VP of Italian content for Netflix, spoke at several of the events about the series. " The Leopard is the embodiment of Netflix's creative and productive ambition in Italy and our desire to authentically portray Italy in all its nuances and, of course, in all its beauty," she said at the Rome premiere. "It is a sumptuous and exciting series that captures the vitality and modernity of a timeless literary masterpiece, rediscovering it through a new, modern perspective."

Rome

We kicked things off with the world premiere, held on March 3 at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. A historic procession of 100 'Garibaldini' performers, dressed in lavish costumes from the series, paraded in front of the theater, reenacting the epic March of the Thousand to bring the spirit of the Italian Risorgimento to life for the event's 850 guests, which included institutions, press, policymakers, creative industry representatives, content creators and more.

After the screening, guests enjoyed Sicilian-themed bites, including an entire room dedicated to local desserts like fresh cannoli, granita and brioche.

London

The celebration continued in London at Soho House on March 4 with an intimate screening for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and press. Guests included members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, as well as representatives from the Royal Household and the Italian Embassy in London. A screening of the first episode was followed by a Q&A with Netflix's Tinny Andreatta and series director Tom Shankland, moderated by Damian Fantato from the Financial Times.

Washington D.C.

On March 4, we also hosted a screening in the States in collaboration with the Italian Embassy. Held at the Motion Picture Association (MPA), Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria and Italian Ambassador to the United States Mariangela Zappia. "We are proud to share this historic story with the entire world, who will soon become as enamored with Sicily and the Salina family as we have," said Bajaria. "We took a big swing in adapting a story of this scope for television, and the results are phenomenal."

Ambassador Zappia read a passage from the "timeless classic" during her introductory remarks. "At its core, The Leopard is a deep and moving reflection on the change of times. It captures a Sicily in transformation, as a family navigates the tides of the Risorgimento and its social and political turmoil. It's an incredibly moving reflection on identity and survival."

Berlin

The next night, the Italian Ambassador to Germany, Fabrizio Bucci, hosted a special Sicilian-themed dinner at the Italian Embassy in Berlin. The event, which featured a live interpretive dance performance by Carlos Aller & Cecilia Bartolino to the soundtrack, brought together key opinion leaders from the media, academia, politics, and the cultural sector. Among the guests were Italian actor Saul Nanni ("Tancredi") two of the drama's Italian producers Daniel Campos Pavoncelli and Alessandro Mascheroni, and Luisa Cotta Ramosino (Director, Series, Netflix Italy), who shared behind-the-scenes insights from the making of the series.

Brussels

Together with the Italian cultural institute in Brussels, the following day, March 6, we hosted a special screening and reception with cast members Kim Rossi Stuart ("The Prince of Salina " ) and Benedetta Porcaroli ("Concetta"), Italian producer Fabrizio Donvito and Netflix Italy executive Tinny Andreatta. Prof. Pierre Di Toro and Italian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium Federica Favi made remarks at the invite-only event.

The evening turned into a celebration of Italian cultural heritage, featuring photos of Italian landscapes from the series and a Sicilian-inspired menu. This was praised by the Italian Ambassador and the Institute, who felt it aligned with their pledge to UNESCO.

Paris

On March 13, a special screening was held at the L'Arlequin Cinema followed by a cocktail party at the Italian Embassy in Paris. After the first two episodes were screened, producers Daniel Campos Pavoncelli Pavoncelli and Fabrizio Donvito, director Tom Shankland, Netflix's Tinny Andreatta and actress Deva Cassel ("Angelica Sedara") took part in a Q&A.

Madrid

On March 24, we will host an exclusive dinner at the Italian Embassy in Madrid.

Il Gattopardo is now streaming on Netflix.