# Inspector Montalbano (TV series)

The Inspector Montalbano (Italian: Il commissario Montalbano) television series are Italian police procedural stories. Based on Andrea Camilleri's detective novels, they are located in the imaginary town of Vigàta, Sicily, which is based on Camilleri's native Porto Empedocle. The series protagonist, Salvo Montalbano, is the police chief, or commissario.
The music for the soundtrack was composed by Franco Piersanti.
Inspector Montalbano was produced and broadcast by RAI to critical acclaim. It premiered on Rai 2, and then, since the fourth season, on Rai 1. Over 65 countries have broadcast the series, including on BBC Four in the United Kingdom, MHz WorldView in the United States and SBS in Australia. In 2012, the series generated a spin-off, The Young Montalbano.

## Synopsis

Inspector Salvo Montalbano is in charge of the state police station in Vigàta, a fictional town in the fictional province of Montelusa (see locations) in Sicily, Southern Italy. Montalbano investigates criminal acts which he always manages to solve by reconstruction thanks to his intelligence and the help of his team which includes his deputy, Domenico 'Mimì' Augello, Giuseppe Fazio, Galluzzo, and Agatino Catarella. Salvo has a long-distance, tempestuous relationship with Livia Burlando who lives in Genoa.
Among his external collaborators are:
* his Swedish friend, Ingrid Sjöström, who lives in neighbouring Montelusa
* the journalist, Nicolò Zito
* Vigàta's local forensic pathologist Dr. Marco Pasquano
* his cook and housekeeper, Adelina Cirrinciò

## Cast
### Main characters

* Luca Zingaretti as Inspector Salvo Montalbano, the police chief of Vigàta (season 1−15)
* Cesare Bocci as Inspector Domenico "Mimì" Augello, Montalbano's deputy and close friend (season 1−15)
* Peppino Mazzotta as Detective Giuseppe Fazio, and Montalbano's right-hand man (season 1−15)
* Angelo Russo as Agatino Catarella, police officer (season 1−15)
* Davide Lo Verde as Galluzzo, police officer (seasons 1–15)
* Roberto Nobile as Nicolò Zito, journalist of local TV station Rete Libera and trusted friend of Montalbano (season 1−15)
* Marcello Perracchio as Dr. Marco Pasquano, forensic pathologist (seasons 1–11)
* Katharina Böhm (seasons 1–4), Lina Perned (season 9) and Sonia Bergamasco (seasons 10−15) as Livia Burlando, Montalbano's long-distance girlfriend who lives in Genoa and sometimes visits Vigàta. Both Böhm and Perned were dubbed by Claudia Catani, who also played Livia's voice on the telephone in seasons 5–8, where the character doesn't physically appear.

### Recurring characters

* Isabell Sollman as Ingrid, Montalbano's Swedish friend (seasons 2–5, 7–8, 11)
* Mirella Petralia as Adelina Cirrinciò, Montalbano's housekeeper/cook (seasons 4, 7 and 9)
* Ketty Governali as Adelina Cirrinciò, Montalbano's housekeeper/cook (seasons 11, 12)
* Fabio Costanzo as Pasquale Cirrinciò, Adelina's son (seasons 4, 7, 9 and 12)
* Carmelinda Gentile as Beatrice "Beba" Di Leo, becomes Mimì's wife (main: season 5; guest: seasons 3–4, 6–8, 12)
* Giovanni Guardiano as Jacomuzzi, police forensics specialist (seasons 1–5, 8, 12–13)
* Giacinto Ferro (1943–2016) as Police Chief Bonetti-Alderighi, Montalbano's superior based in the provincial capital, Montelusa (seasons 1, 4–5, 7–9, 11)
* Giovanni Visentin as Judge Tommaseo, morbidly attracted to the more spicy aspects of the cases (seasons 7–9, 11)
* Filippo Brazzaventre as Filippo Ragonese, political journalist at local TV station Televigàta (seasons 4–10)
* Ubaldo Lo Presti as Filippo Ragonese, political journalist at local TV station Televigàta (seasons 1–2)
* Francesco Stella as Gallo, police officer (seasons 1–2)
* Marco Cavallaro as Tortorella, police officer (seasons 4–6)
* Corrado Invernizzi as Lattes, Bonetti-Alderighi's secretary (seasons 1–3, 8)
* Francesco Sineri as Don Balduccio Sinagra, retired mafia boss (seasons 3–5)

## Seasons and episodes

| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 May 1999 (1999-05-06) | 13 May 1999 (1999-05-13) |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 May 2000 (2000-05-02) | 9 May 2000 (2000-05-09) |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 May 2001 (2001-05-09) | 16 May 2001 (2001-05-16) |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 28 October 2002 (2002-10-28) | 18 November 2002 (2002-11-18) |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 22 September 2005 (2005-09-22) | 29 September 2005 (2005-09-29) |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 March 2006 (2006-03-07) | 13 March 2006 (2006-03-13) |
| 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 November 2008 (2008-11-02) | 17 November 2008 (2008-11-17) |
| 8 | 4 | 4 | 14 March 2011 (2011-03-14) | 4 April 2011 (2011-04-04) |
| 9 | 4 | 4 | 15 April 2013 (2013-04-15) | 6 May 2013 (2013-05-06) |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 29 February 2016 (2016-02-29) | 7 March 2016 (2016-03-07) |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | 27 February 2017 (2017-02-27) | 6 March 2017 (2017-03-06) |
| 12 | 2 | 2 | 12 February 2018 (2018-02-12) | 19 February 2018 (2018-02-19) |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | 11 February 2019 (2019-02-11) | 18 February 2019 (2019-02-18) |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | 9 March 2020 (2020-03-09) | 16 March 2020 (2020-03-16) |
| 15 | 1 | 1 | 8 March 2021 (2021-03-08) | 8 March 2021 (2021-03-08) |
| Series | Episode # | Original Italian broadcast | Original Italian title | English novel translation | English TV title translation | Original BBC Four broadcast | UK ratings |
| Season 1 | 01 | 6 May 1999 | "Il ladro di merendine" | The Snack Thief | "The Snack Thief" | 11 February 2012 | 640,000 |
| Season 1 | 02 | 13 May 1999 | "La voce del violino" | The Voice of the Violin | "The Voice of the Violin" | 18 February 2012 | 721,000 |
| Season 2 | 03 | 2 May 2000 | "La forma dell'acqua" | The Shape of Water | "The Shape of Water" | 25 February 2012 | 744,000 |
| Season 2 | 04 | 9 May 2000 | "Il cane di terracotta" | The Terracotta Dog | "The Mystery of the Terracotta Dog" | 3 March 2012 | 664,000 |
| Season 3 | 05 | 9 May 2001 | "La gita a Tindari" | Excursion to Tindari | "Excursion to Tindari" | 13 December 2008 | N/A |
| Season 3 | 06 | 16 May 2001 | "Tocco d'artista" | (Short story) | "The Artist's Touch" | 17 March 2012 | 628,000 |
| Season 4 | 07 | 28 October 2002 | "Il senso del tatto" | (Short stories) | "The Sense of Touch" | 24 March 2012 | 719,000 |
| Season 4 | 08 | 4 November 2002 | "Gli arancini di Montalbano" | (Short stories) | "Montalbano's Croquettes" | 15 December 2008 | N/A |
| Season 4 | 09 | 11 November 2002 | "L'odore della notte" | The Scent of the Night | "The Scent of the Night" | 7 April 2012 | 773,000 |
| Season 4 | 10 | 18 November 2002 | "Il gatto e il cardellino" | (Short stories) | "The Goldfinch and the Cat" | 14 April 2012 | 677,000 |
| Season 5 | 11 | 22 September 2005 | "Il giro di boa" | Rounding the Mark | "Turning Point" | 25 August 2012 | 937,000 |
| Season 5 | 12 | 29 September 2005 | "Par condicio" | (Short stories) | "Equal Time" | 1 September 2012 | 926,000 |
| Season 6 | 13 | 7 March 2006 | "La pazienza del ragno" | The Patience of the Spider | "The Patience of the Spider" | 8 September 2012 | 681,000 |
| Season 6 | 14 | 13 March 2006 | "Il gioco delle tre carte" | (Short stories) | "The Game of Three Cards" | 15 September 2012 | 713,000 |
| Season 7 | 15 | 2 November 2008 | "La vampa d'agosto" | August Heat | "August Flame" | 22 September 2012 | 790,000 |
| Season 7 | 16 | 3 November 2008 | "Le ali della sfinge" | The Wings of the Sphinx | "The Wings of the Sphinx" | 29 September 2012 | 821,000 |
| Season 7 | 17 | 10 November 2008 | "La pista di sabbia" | The Track of Sand | "The Track of Sand" | 6 October 2012 | 701,000 |
| Season 7 | 18 | 17 November 2008 | "La luna di carta" | The Paper Moon | "Paper Moon" | 13 October 2012 | 810,000 |
| Season 8 | 19 | 14 March 2011 | "Il campo del vasaio" | The Potter's Field | "The Potter's Field" | 3 November 2012 | 898,000 |
| Season 8 | 20 | 21 March 2011 | "La danza del gabbiano" | The Dance of the Seagull | "The Gull's Dance" | 27 October 2012 | 838,000 |
| Season 8 | 21 | 28 March 2011 | "La caccia al tesoro" | The Treasure Hunt | "Treasure Hunt" | 10 November 2012 | 874,000 |
| Season 8 | 22 | 4 April 2011 | "L'età del dubbio" | The Age of Doubt | "The Age of Doubt" | 20 October 2012 | 867,000 |
| Season 9 | 23 | 15 April 2013 | "Il sorriso di Angelica" | Angelica's Smile | "Angelica's Smile" | 19 October 2013 | 908,000 |
| Season 9 | 24 | 22 April 2013 | "Il gioco degli specchi" | Game of Mirrors | "Hall of Mirrors" | 26 October 2013 | 962,000 |
| Season 9 | 25 | 29 April 2013 | "Una voce di notte" | A Voice in the Night | "A Voice in the Night" | 2 November 2013 | 979,000 |
| Season 9 | 26 | 6 May 2013 | "Una lama di luce" | A Beam of Light | "A Ray of Light" | 9 November 2013 | 1,083,000 |
| Season 10 | 27 | 29 February 2016 | "Una faccenda delicata" | (Short stories) | "A Delicate Matter" | 19 August 2017 | 1,161,000 |
| Season 10 | 28 | 7 March 2016 | "La piramide di fango" | The Pyramid of Mud | "The Mud Pyramid" | 26 August 2017 | 999,000 |
| Season 11 | 29 | 27 February 2017 | "Un covo di vipere" | A Nest of Vipers | "A Nest of Vipers" | 2 September 2017 | 931,000 |
| Season 11 | 30 | 6 March 2017 | "Come voleva la prassi" | (Short stories) | "As Per Procedure" | 9 September 2017 | 965,000 |
| Season 12 | 31 | 12 February 2018 | "La giostra degli scambi" | The Overnight Kidnapper | "Carousel" | 19 May 2018 | 887,000 |
| Season 12 | 32 | 19 February 2018 | "Amore" | (Short stories) | "Love" | 2 June 2018 | 858,000 |
| Season 13 | 33 | 11 February 2019 | "L'altro capo del filo" | The Other End of the Line | "The Other End of the Thread" | 1 June 2019 | 917,129 |
| Season 13 | 34 | 18 February 2019 | "Un diario del '43" | (Short stories) | "A Diary from ‘43" | 8 June 2019 | 915,845 |
| Season 14 | 35 | 9 March 2020 | "Salvo amato, Livia mia" | (Short story) | "Beloved Salvo, My Livia" | 10 October 2020 | 1,014,022 |
| Season 14 | 36 | 16 March 2020 | "La rete di protezione" | The Safety Net | "The Safety Net" | 17 October 2020 | 887,757 |
| Season 15 | 37 | 8 March 2021 | "Il metodo Catalanotti" | The Sicilian Method | "The Catalanotti Method" | 2 July 2022 | |
* 1 2 This episode did not feature in BBC Four's weekly top 10.
In a recent interview, Luca Zingaretti said: “For me it was a wonderful professional and human adventure. Now it seems to me to have come to an end. The author no longer writes and my director friend, Alberto Sironi, is sadly gone too. Does it make sense to end the saga by filming the last two unpublished novels also as a sign of respect towards them? Or is it their very lack that suggests respectful silence? I lean towards the latter”.

## Production

Given the success of the Andrea Camilleri novels, published by Sellerio (Palermo), RAI with Palomar, commissioned a television series, in co-operation with Sweden's public service SVT, Sveriges Television, of most of the novels and short stories. Each closely follows the plot of the novels, in some cases joining several short stories. Alberto Sironi (it), who died suddenly in early August 2019, had directed the entire series up till then. He was taken ill during the filming of three new episodes in 2019 and Luca Zingaretti took over the direction. Camilleri was teaching at the same time that Zingaretti was studying at the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico. Luca Zingaretti had to adjust his accent to Sicilian having been born in Rome. Inspector Montalbano was initially launched on Rai 2. It moved to Rai 1 after the second series.
Austrian actress Katharina Böhm, then Lina Perned (both dubbed by Claudia Catani) and lastly Sonia Bergamasco played his girlfriend, Livia. Cesare Bocci played his deputy and Peppino Mazzotta his most trusted detective Fazio.

## Filming

Although Camilleri set his books in a fictionalised province of Agrigento, much of the series is filmed in the province of Ragusa. The exteriors of la Mànnara were filmed at Fornace Penna in Sampieri. Montalbano's offices are in Scicli, as are the offices of Commissioner Bonetti-Alderighi (actually those of the mayor). Filming is in Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Donnafugata Castle and the Donnalucata, Pozzallo and Scoglitti ports, Marina di Ragusa, Comiso, Santa Croce Camerina, Sampieri, Acate, and other places in south-eastern Sicily. The opening shots in the series include the Guerrieri Viaduct in Modica. The Coast Guard office in Scoglitti, in reality, is the small lighthouse museum.

### List of main locations

* Ragusa
* Punta Secca
* Modica
* Scicli
* Donnalucata
* Comiso
* Chiaramonte Gulfi
* Ispica
* Pozzallo
* Vittoria
* Scoglitti
* Sampieri
* Acate

## International transmission

The BBC holds the United Kingdom transmission rights. "Excursion to Tindari" and "Montalbano's Croquettes" were shown on BBC Four in December 2008. On 11 February 2012, "The Snack Thief" was broadcast in its 9 pm Saturday evening slot. On 25 August 2012, BBC Four began to broadcast a series of 12 episodes. From 19 October to 9 November 2013, the four series nine episodes were broadcast and referred to as Series 3. In June 2014, BBC Four began a re-run of all existing episodes and this time commencing in the correct running order. However the episodes (as detailed in dates above) for series 8 were shown in a different order than the Italian sequence. This remains the U.K. sequence for the BBC iPlayer stream.
In the United States, the series is retitled Detective Montalbano and streams on MHz Choice in Italian, subtitled in English by MHz staff.
In Australia, the series was shown on Special Broadcasting Service in Italian, subtitled in English by SBS staff.
In France, it was shown in winter 2013 on France 3 on Sundays with the title Commissaire Montalbano. In Spain, it was on La 2 on Saturdays in spring 2013 and in Argentina it was seen on the Europa channel.

## DVD release

| DVD title | Discs | Production year | Episodes | DVD release Region 1 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 1–3 | 3 | 1999–2000 | "The Snack Thief", "The Voice of the Violin", "The Shape of Water" | 29 June 2010 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 4–6 | 3 | 2000–2001 | "The Mystery of the Terracotta Dog", "The Artist's Touch", "A Trip to Tindari" | 29 June 2010 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 7–9 | 3 | 2002 | "The Sense of Touch", "Montalbano's Croquettes", "The Scent of the Night" | 17 August 2010 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 10–12 | 3 | 2002–2005 | "The Goldfinch and the Cat", "Turning Point", "Equal Time" | 17 August 2010 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 13–15 | 3 | 2006–2008 | "The Spider's Patience", "Find the Lady", "Paper Moon" | 14 November 2010 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 16–18 | 3 | 2008 | "Track of Sand", "Wings of the Sphinx", "August Heat" | 14 November 2010 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 19 & 20 | 2 | 2011 | "The Potter's Field" and "The Dance of the Seagull" | 4 November 2011 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 21 & 22 | 2 | 2011 | "The Treasure Hunt" and "The Age of Doubt" | 4 November 2011 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 23 & 24 | 2 | 2013 | "Angelica's Smile" and "Mirror Effect'" | 24 September 2013 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 25 & 26 | 2 | 2013 | "A Voice in the Night" and "A Ray of Light" | 24 September 2013 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 27 & 28 | 2 | 2016 | "A Delicate Matter" and "The Mud Pyramid" | 28 June 2016 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 29 & 30 | 2 | 2017 | "A Nest of Vipers" and "As Per Procedure" | 27 June 2017 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 31 & 32 | 2 | 2018 | "Merry-go-round" and "Amore" | 26 June 2018 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 33 & 34 | 2 | 2019 | "The Other End of the Thread" and "A Diary from ‘43" | 25 June 2019 |
| Detective Montalbano: Episodes 35 & 36 | 2 | 2020 | "Dear Livia" and "The Safety Net" | 23 June 2020 |
MHz Networks distributes the Detective Montalbano series on TV, DVD, TVOD and SVOD.
In the UK, the earlier episodes are currently available in both a collection and series format, with the series numbering following BBC Four's. These titles are distributed by Acorn Media UK.
| DVD title | DVD title | Discs | Year | Episodes | DVD release |
| DVD title | DVD title | Discs | Year | Episodes | Region 2 |
| | Collection One | 2 | 2012 | "The Snack Thief", "The Voice of The Violin", "The Shape of Water", "The Mystery of The Terracotta Dog" | 5 March 2012 |
| | Collection Two | 3 | 2012 | "Excursion to Tindari", "The Artist's Touch", "The Sense of Touch", "Montalbano's Croquettes", "The Scent of the Night", "The Cat and the Goldfinch" | 3 September 2012 |
| | Complete Series One | 5 | 2012 | The 10 episodes from Collection One and Collection Two | 8 October 2012 |
| | Collection Three | 2 | 2013 | "Turning Point", "Equal Time", "The Spider’s Patience", "Find the Lady" | 7 January 2013 |
| | Collection Four | 2 | 2013 | "August Flame", "The Wings of the Sphinx", "Track of Sand", "Paper Moon" | 4 March 2013 |
| | Collection Five | 2 | 2013 | "The Age of Doubt", "The Gull's Dance", "The Potter's Field", "Treasure Hunt" | 8 July 2013 |
| | Complete Series Two | 6 | 2013 | The 12 episodes from Collections Three, Four and Five | 4 November 2013 |
| | Collection Six | 2 | 2014 | "Angelica's Smile", "Hall of Mirrors", "A Voice in the Night", "A Ray of Light" | 3 February 2014 |
| | The Complete Montalbano Collection | 13 | 2014 | All 26 episodes from the six collections | 2 June 2014 |
| | Collection Seven | 2 | 2017 | "A Delicate Matter", "The Mud Pyramid", "A Nest of Vipers", "As Per Procedure" | 11 September 2017 |
| | Collection Eight | 1 | 2018 | "Carousel", "Love" | 4 June 2018 |
| | Collection Nine | 1 | 2019 | "The Other End of the Thread", "A Diary from ‘43" | 1 July 2019 |
| | Inspector Montalbano Complete 1-9 | 17 | 2019 | All 34 episodes from the nine collections | 31 December 2019 |
| | Collection Ten | 1 | 2020 | "Beloved Salvo, My Livia" and "The Safety Net" | 23 November 2020 |
In the Nordic countries the first 18 films are available as Box 1 (1–6), Box 2 (7–12) and Box 3 (13–18). All were released in 2009 (labelled 1999, the start date of the series) with Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles. They were released by AtlanticFilms AB on license from RAI Trade.
In Spain, there is a confusing situation where episodes are dubbed in Spanish, as well as Italian with Spanish subtitles being available in both box sets containing six episodes each and overlapping mini box sets containing two films each. Both are labelled, Colección Montalbano in identical boxes just to add to the confusion. Distribution is by Track Media SL.

## Awards

* 2003 Busto Arsizio Film Festival: Winner Best TV Series
* 2009 Kineo Awards, Italy: Winner Best Television Film
* 2011 Kineo Awards, Italy: Winner Best Television Film
* 2014 Crime Thriller Awards, UK: Nominee Best International TV Drama
* 2016 TV Award - TV Direction Award: Winner Best fiction