Il Principe della Marsiliana

In a lively Trastevere tavern, the evening air is thick with the flutter of tricolour and municipal flags, lanterns casting a warm glow over bustling crowds. Merchants in glittering waistcoats mingle with ordinary citizens, trading jokes and political gossip while a dashing young man in a turquoise shirt commands the room’s attention, greeting everyone by name. The atmosphere crackles with the fervor of an upcoming election, and the patrons’ conversations turn toward the enigmatic Prince of Marsiliana, a figure whose reputation is tangled in whispers of scandal and a troublesome marriage.

Amid the chatter, the tavern’s owner proposes a bold gambit: invite the prince’s aloof princess to dine at the inn, hoping her presence will sway the local vote in his favour. Fabio Rosati, a shrewd local leader, weighs the suggestion, torn between his disdain for the aristocratic meddling and the practical need to secure a victory. The night ends with Rosati heading toward the prince’s palace, setting the stage for a delicate dance of politics, romance, and ambition.