Il canto della fortuna

Here comes the first of the two-volume saga about the Rizzolis: a family parable of social reversal that spans the 20th century.

Angelo Rizzoli is an entrepreneur, printer, publisher, film producer and the “inventor” of tourism on the island of Ischia – a visionary who starts from nothing and, in just a few decades, builds an empire, vanquishing prejudice and deceit, thanks to his flair for business and people.

Milan, late 1800s. Angelo Rizzoli lives in grinding poverty with his mother and two sisters. He is a docile but very ambitious young boy who wants to escape misery. However, he cannot bear rich people and doesn’t like to have masters, so when, by chance, he meets a printing machine salesman, he starts his first printing shop, “A. Rizzoli & Co.”.
In the 1920s between Socialism and Fascism, he becomes a publisher and prints the first periodicals. These are followed by books and, finally, cinema. Angelo frequents actors, directors and producers, and starts his own production company, Cineriz.
In the 1960s, Angelo’s empire sweeps the Americas with the production of Fellini’s 8 1/2 and the opening of the Rizzoli bookshop in New York. His flair for people leads him to his most ambitious project: a new information daily with nationwide circulation, readable by all. However, he dies before achieving this dream, and with the certainty that the decisions of his family members will squander his empire amid intrigues and lies.