The Leopard

The Leopard, a historical novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, originally published in Italian in 1958, chronicles the decline of the Sicilian nobility during the 19th century, the period marking the unification of Italy. The novel follows the life of Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, as he navigates through political upheaval and the fading glory of his class amidst the rise of a new social order. The Leopard was adapted into a film in 1963 and a Netflix series in 2025. 

This guide is based on the 2007 Vintage edition of The Leopard, translated by Archibald Colquhoun.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide include references to sexual content and a possible joke about rape. 

Plot Summary

The Leopard begins in May 1860, amid a revolutionary movement to bring about a unified Italian state. The Salina family is a family of Sicilian nobles who live in a palace in Palermo. The narrative begins as their daily Rosary ends. The family sits in an ornately decorated drawing room, complete with paintings of Roman deities and many depictions of the family’s coat of arms. These coats of arms include a prominent leopard, which is the symbol of the Salina family. Prince Fabrizio is the head of the Salina family. He is a large, imposing man whose fair features—a mark of his German ancestry—are somewhat unique among the dark-haired people of Sicily. As the novel begins, he is feeling displeased. He is beset by the notion that his family is on the brink of decline, as is the entirety of the Sicilian nobility.

Once the Rosary is over, Fabrizio thinks about the current situation in Sicily. Though most of his noble peers are explicitly opposed to the unification movement, led by the famous nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi, Fabrizio is less strident. Recently, Fabrizio has met with the King of Naples and Sicily, in whom he sensed a growing fear. The king warned him to speak to his nephew, Tancredi, an ambitious young man who is outspokenly in favor of the revolution. Fabrizio loves Tancredi almost more than his own sons, and he has raised his nephew ever since the death of Tancredi’s noble but destitute father. Fabrizio wonders whether the status quo is worth saving. At dinner, Fabrizio is sensitive to the slightest breach of etiquette from his children. When his wife touches his hand, he is struck by a sudden desire to visit his favorite sex worker in Palermo. He orders his carriage to be readied, even though he knows that this will upset his wife. Doubling down on his decision, he insists that Father Pirrone, the family priest, accompany him into the city. As they drive away, he hears his wife’s cries from the bedroom. The trip does not leave him satisfied.

The next day, Tancredi visits his uncle. He talks about the rebels camped out in the hills and his plans to join them. If Fabrizio and the other nobles want things to stay the same in Sicily, he says, then things must also change. This insight sticks in Fabrizio’s mind as he goes about his day-to-day tasks, including his favored pastime of astronomy. He believes that many of the bourgeois liberals who support the revolution do not favor completely altering the status quo. Rather, they want to put themselves in the privileged place of the nobility while keeping everything else the same. They are as greedy and self-interested as everyone else, he believes, rather than idealistic or nationalistic. For Father Pirrone, the revolution is a direct threat to the Catholic Church, and he warns that Garibaldi’s men plan to confiscate Church properties.

After Garibaldi and his men successfully take over Palermo, Fabrizio finds that little changes. He and his family set off on their annual summer vacation to their rural property in Donnafugata. This is Fabrizio’s favorite place, and he relishes his summer trips, including his early morning hunts. Tancredi accompanies the family, sharing stories of the battle and flirting with Fabrizio’s daughter Concetta, who is very much in love with him. In Donnafugata, Fabrizio goes through his usual traditions and visitations. This time, he notices that the newly elected Mayor, Don Calogero, is taking up airs and will soon be richer than Fabrizio himself, thanks to several successful business dealings. He also supports the revolution. Fabrizio invites the Mayor to dinner; Don Calogero brings his daughter, Angelica, whose beauty strikes Fabrizio and Tancredi. At dinner, Tancredi flirts with Angelica, prompting Concetta’s jealousy. He tells a story full of sexual innuendo about his role in the fighting, prompting a sharp rebuke from Concetta and a laugh from Angelica.

Over the course of the summer, Tancredi courts Angelica. A plebiscite is held about Italian unification. Fabrizio encourages people to vote in favor of unification, even though he is cynical about the prospect of real change. As he talks to his friends, however, he realizes that the Mayor has falsified the votes and turned any votes against unification into votes for unification. After Tancredi has departed to join the military, he writes to his uncle. He asks Fabrizio to negotiate the marriage between himself and Angelica. Prince Fabrizio is forced into the embarrassing situation of striking a bargain with a man he perceives to be from a lower social class. As he talks to Don Calogero, however, he realizes that Angelica’s vast inheritance will allow Tancredi to restore wealth to his family name. Tancredi returns to the villa to visit with Angelica and celebrate their engagement. They spend days exploring the vast estate, setting people to gossip. These are their happiest days; the future marriage will be loveless but beneficial for them both. During this time, Fabrizio is invited to join the Italian Senate. He refuses, speaking at length about his views on Sicily and why it is unique in terms of culture and people. He does not believe that a project of unification with Italy can ever truly succeed and suggests that the post be given to Don Calogero instead.

In November 1862, Angelica is presented at a high society ball. Palermo’s nobility is celebrating in the wake of the revolution; their lives have changed little. Angelica is coached by Tancredi on how to comport herself before the noble guests. She is a great success, though Fabrizio takes pleasure in noting Don Calogero’s frequent breaches of etiquette. The ball lasts late into the night. Eventually, the Prince walks home alone. He looks up into the dawn sky and thinks about the stars, the planets, and his own death.

The narrative resumes 25 years later. The Prince has grown old, and returning from a medical appointment in Naples, he collapses from a stroke on the train. He is taken to a hotel nearby, where his family gathers. Fabrizio becomes increasingly aware that he is dying. He reflects on his life and his legacy, struggling to determine whether he has led a life worth living. Surrounded by his weeping family, including Tancredi, he suffers another stroke. He sees a young woman approaching as his thoughts are overcome by the crashing of the waves. He dies.

In 1910, the Prince’s three daughters are all spinsters. They live in the old family house, which they have turned into a chapel. They are very devout and spend their money on relics. These relics must be inspected by the church, Concetta is told, so they welcome visits from the priests and the administrators. The family’s status has fallen, so all they have left is their reputation for piety. When they are told that many of the relics are fake, Concetta is less concerned than her sisters. She is visited by Angelica, who makes passing reference to an old acquaintance. Over the course of the day, Concetta realizes that Tancredi always loved her. The off-color joke she rebuked him for so many years ago, she realizes, was his way of declaring his love for her. She wasted her life because of this misunderstanding. She orders a servant to throw from the window a rug made from the stuffed corpse of her father’s dog. In the air, the dog’s twisted body briefly resembles a leopard before it collapses into a dusty heap.