Lavish Netflix costume drama in Italy 'one of the most beautiful things ever seen'

If you're longing for a sumptuous and transportive period drama, look no further than The Leopard on Netflix. The six-part miniseries immerses audiences in 19th-century Sicily, where Deva Cassel, Monica Bellucci's daughter, takes centre stage.

Netflix's adaptation of an iconic Italian novel has viewers swooning. Between the lavish costumes, breathtaking scenery and love triangle, it's a feast for the senses. But it's not all sumptuous visuals - for all its surface delights, The Leopard is a skewering social critique told through the fall of an elite family.

The show is a retelling of Italy's bestselling novel, Il Gattopardo by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which unsurprisingly translates to 'The Leopard', a nickname of the story's protagonist, a Sicilian prince.

The enduring tale takes place in a period of major social upheaval. In the second half of the 1800s, the unification of Italy was underway and all this change is seen through the eyes of the aristocratic Corbera family.

"The Leopard tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina (Kim Rossi Stuart), a Sicilian nobleman whose family weathers the changing tides of Italian life during Garibaldi's conquest," reads the show synopsis.

"When the Redshirts arrive in Palermo, Corbera and his family flee to his Donnafugata estate, where their situation quickly becomes precarious. As times change, the Corbera family will have to adapt to survive - or die on the vine."

Reviews for Italian period drama have been largely positive. It holds a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.3 out of 10 star rating on IMDB. Viewers and critics have lauded the show for its stunning visuals and production values as well as its substance.

"[The Leopard] is sumptuous, sensuous, emotionally tempestuous and full of nice food; all qualities our homegrown costume drama tends to lack," wrote The Guardian.

The review added: "The Leopard's sultry good looks will make you swoon, but this beady-eyed examination of how the ruling classes navigate regime change has plenty of substance too."

"I just watched the whole series and loved every minute of it," praised one viewer. "This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen on TV. The landscape, architecture, costumes, music, cinematography and general art direction is a divine feast. The characters were captivating. Benedetta Porcaroli is my new movie star girlfriend."

The Leopard is available to watch on Netflix.