Giulia Florio, the last descendant of the family at the center of the international best-seller “I leoni di Sicilia”, is remembered by her daughter, Costanza, who writes her true and riveting story revealing a wealth of never-before published details on her Sicilian dynasty.
The first ever book authored by a member of the Florio family.

“The Florio dynasty died out with my mother Giulia, but I still feel their name imprinted on my skin. And I want to make their story known to the world, along with the beauty of my island, a region I consider peerless in the whole of Italy”. COSTANZA AFAN DE RIVERA

“Giulia Florio was an extraordinary mother, for both she had both personal kindness and the strength of character that was the hallmark of the Florio’s. Determination was a family trait.” Costanza’s voice is gentle and yet it betrays the pride and fierceness that spring from the awareness of one’s roots. From their homeland in Sicily, at the turn of the last century, the Florio family had reached the very top of European economic power. But with the First World War its empire began to topple. Born and raised in luxury, Giulia found herself in Rome, having to make do and find a living for herself. Her life, lasting a span of eighty years, is the stuff of novels – full of disappointments and triumphs, joys and sorrow.
Set in the saga of a dynasty of genteel entrepreneurs, the story of an unconventional and deeply free woman who personally lived the most dramatic events of an entire century. As told in the engaging and moving voice of an eyewitness – her daughter.
A unique perspective to discover the story, the protagonists and their best-guarded secrets.