The story of the beautiful Franca Florio, wife of Ignazio Florio, coincides with one of the most important moments of the industrialization of Sicily, which reached its peak between the end of the 800’s and the beginning of the 900’s, with shipbuilding industries, trade and even a brief period dedicated to aviation industries. This is the time when the Massimo theater was built, of the liberty-style architecture of Basile, of the famous portrait of Boldini. The Florio family is at the center of the economic and social life of Palermo. Franca was called Donna Franca, the “queen of Sicily” by Sicilians; King William II called her the “star of Italy”, whereas Gabriele D'Annunzio called her “the one and only”. According to a recent survey she is one of the most famous Italian women in the world.

But just like in a Buddenbrok-style saga, family tragedies (the death of two children) and growing economic difficulties intertwine with her husbands infidelity and  inevitable aging. The story ends in isolation and in regret for a lost world.

Starting from this moment of loneliness, the ballet takes a series of flashback to represent the rise and fall of the Florio family (the airplane and ship projects, the wonderful wedding, the launching of a beautiful cruise ship, the visit of the Royal families of Great Britain and Germany, the birth and death of their children, the portrait of Boldini, the jealousies and the gambling).