Inspector Montalbano ... Sicily's TV Detective

"Montalbano Sono"
“Montalbano felt moved. This was real friendship, Sicilian friendship, the kind based on intuition, on what was left unsaid. With a true friend, one never needs to ask, because the other understands on his own accordingly.” Andrea Camilleri, The Snack Thief



Inspector Montalbano is an Italian television series based on the bestselling detective novels by the author Andrea Camilleri, it has been broadcasted by the Italian television channel RAI since 1999 and came to UK screens on BBC4 with English subtitles. In 2012 RAI commissioned a spin off series Young Montalbano.

The popular books have been translated in 32 languages. Andrea Camellieri was born in Sicily and is one of Italy’s most famous contemporary writers and his books have sold over 65 million copies worldwide.

The Inspector Montalbano stories are set in the imaginary Sicilian town of Vigata.

Salvo Montalbano is the police commissioner of Vigata, a gruff character who is responsible and serious at work, but also open and friendly with people he knows he can trust.
Left to Right, Caterella, Salvo Montalbano, Fazio and Mimi

Montalbano must investigate various criminal acts, which with thanks to his great mind and help of numerous assistants, some which are outside the police force, he always manages to reconstruct the exact events to find a solution to solve the case, whilst often failing to resist the seductive qualities of fine Sicilian food.

Among his co-workers are his womanising deputy Mimi, Detective Fazio and the awkward Agent Catarella. Among his external collaborators are his friend Ingrid, the journalist Niccolò Zito and his cook Adelina. In his private life, Salvo carries on a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend Livia with whom he has a sometimes tempestuous relationship but in which love always prevails.

Much of the show is filmed in the Province of Ragusa in Sicily’s baroque South East. Montalbano's headquarters are in Scicli as are the offices of the Chief of Police Bonetti-Alderighi. Other scenes were filmed in Ragusa Ilba, Modica, Donnafugata Castle, the Port of Donnalucata, Marina di Ragusa and other sites in South Eastern Sicily. The opening shots of the programme show Modica and Punta Secca, where the house of Montalbano is situated renamed Marinella for the series.

The Novels by Andrea Camilleri
The books are written in a mixture of Italian and Sicilian dialect and offer a picturesque description of Sicily, its coastline and countryside. The actor Luca Zingaretti who plays Inspector Montalbano was born in Rome and had to adjust his accent to Sicilian.

The television series now has a cult following bringing many tourists to the South East corner of Sicily. Where once if we mentioned our Sicilian home everyone would mention The Godfather movie locations now more often they ask about where the Inspector Montalbano series was filmed.

Last month we joined a group tour to follow in the footsteps of Salvo Montalbano.

Next Blog Post ….. THE MONTALBANO TOUR

Praise for the Montalbano Novels

“Seasoned with Sunshine, Food and Humour … The lightness of touch and humour is given ballast by the deeply unpleasant crimes and slippery characters … The Inspector’s cure for incipient melancholia is a plateful of Caponata or Grilled Mullet, followed by a walk and cigarette. Mine would be the next Montalbano novel.”
The Daily Express


“Montalbano’s colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today” 
The Guardian

Keep Posted for our next Blog Post ... THE MONTALBANO TOUR

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