Francesca e Nunziata

Kraak! Have you ever felt a story that smells of grain and hard work, like wind passing through boats in the harbor? Francesca e Nunziata is a television film from 2002, directed by Lina Wertmüller and based on the novel by Maria Orsini Natale.

Criii! The director read the book even before it was published, and do you know what happened? She brought Sophia Loren back to acting in Italy after many years, and you can even hear her singing a song in the credits.

Squa-squa! The story begins with Nunziata, an 8-year-old orphan, adopted by Donna Francesca, the wife of Prince Giordano Montorsi.

Kraak! Francesca is a strong woman who runs the family pasta factory, the place where pasta is made and the source of income for everyone. She leads, she works, and her passion flows like waves hitting the shore.

Criii! She has nine children, but none share her passion. Only Nunziata, from a young age, watches and learns everything, like a sailor learning to read the wind.

Squa-squa! But Francesca’s strong character slowly pushes Giordano away, making him feel secondary and unable to decide. Their marriage breaks, like a rope pulled too tight.

Kraak! As everything falls apart, Francesca loses interest in the business and leaves the pasta factory in the hands of Nunziata, now grown.

Criii! During World War I, Giordano makes bad investments and faces a financial crash, meaning total ruin. Overwhelmed by disappointment, he takes his own life.

Squa-squa! At that point, Nunziata takes the helm: she loves Federico, the eldest son, without being loved back, yet she still finds the strength to guide the family and give Francesca the will to go on.

Kraak! It’s a story of سقوط and rising again, like waves that break and return to the open sea. A story to truly experience.

Genre: Drama

Year: 2001

Director: Lina Wertmüller

Cast: Sophia Loren, Giancarlo Giannini, Claudia Gerini, Raoul Bova