Exploring Vicenza, Ferrara, and Milan Through Italian TV Mélos
Summary: Explore northern Italy through three captivating Italian TV series (in the mélo genre) starring actress Anna Valle. Each show highlights a distinct city and its cultural backdrop:
My Ballerina (La Compagnia del Cigno): Set in Vicenza, focusing on a dance instructor searching for her daughter amid Palladian architecture.
Nurse Lea: Set in Ferrara, following a pediatric nurse navigating personal and professional challenges framed by the city’s Renaissance landmarks.
The Swan Company: Set in Milan, centered around talented students at the prestigious Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory.
My obsession with three Italian TV series began after watching My Ballerina, which starred the magnificent actress Anna Valle.
Searching the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) for other shows starring the same actress, I discovered two more series that were just as captivating: Nurse Lea and The Swan Company.
A Virtual Visit to Vicenza, Ferrara and Milan
Each series is set in a different city in northern Italy: Vicenza, Ferrara and Milan. And each showcases the iconic piazzas, buildings, and landmarks of the respective city.
I had already been to two of the cities (Ferrara and Milan) but not to Vicenza. But whether or not you’ve actually been there, these beautifully filmed shows will take you on a virtual trip. They offer a distinct sense of place featuring the Palladian architecture of Vicenza, the Renaissance streets of Ferrara, and the high-paced rhythms of Milan.
I was also captivated by the mélo style of storytelling, a genre rooted in Italy’s operatic and theatrical history. Grounded in Italian life and culture, all three of these gripping series blend romance, mystery, family conflict, and emotional trials and traumas.
My Must-Watch TV Northern Italy Itinerary
Whether you’re planning a trip or simply seeking to visit Italy from your sofa, here is my curated list of Italian TV series that will transport you straight to Vicenza, Ferrara, and Milan.
Vicenza: My Ballerina
The two-season series My Ballerina has 12 episodes in each season. It tells the story of a courageous and celebrated choreographer, Emma Conti (played by Valle), who returns home to Vicenza after achieving fame and success in New York City.
Emma receives a mysterious note that leads her to believe her daughter, who died at birth, may actually be alive. She becomes obsessed with finding her. In Vicenza, she becomes a devoted dance instructor and mother figure to six aspiring ballerinas.
The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, including Emma’s romance with the girls’ handsome high school teacher.
Sitting between—and in the shadow of—Verona and Venice, Vicenza (in Italy’s Veneto region) is off the beaten path and remains authentic, free of hordes of tourists.
However, it is an epicenter of Palladian architecture, and the series showcases the two-story Renaissance palace designed by Palladio, the Basilica Palladiana, and other stunning architecture. Lovers of dance will enjoy watching the performances at the dance academy.
Ferrara: Nurse Lea
Nurse Lea has two seasons, totaling 16 episodes. The first is subtitled “A New Day,” and the second, “Our Children.”
Anna Valle stars as Lea, a dedicated nurse who returns to the pediatric ward in her hometown, Ferrara (in the Emilia Romagna region). The reason for her leaving is emotionally compelling, entailing the loss of a child before birth.
While caring for her young patients with complex illnesses, Lea must simultaneously navigate a difficult professional and personal history with her ex-husband; he arrives on the scene as the hospital’s new head of pediatrics. Romantically, she is torn between feelings for her ex and for a handsome musician who enters her life.
Ferrara’s modern Sant’Anna Hospital, closely tied to the University of Ferrara Medical School, dates back more than 500 years. However, the modern, high-tech hospital setting that appears in Lea was filmed on a studio soundstage in Rome.
Images of the faux pediatric hospital offer a stark contrast to the Renaissance setting of the historic, walled city of Ferrara. The red-brick Castello Estense, now a state-owned museum occupying an entire city block and dominating the city, appears frequently in the series. Many scenes showcase the city’s narrow cobblestone streets and alleys and the intimate Piazzetta Saint Etienne. Known as a bicycle-friendly city, Ferrara is often shown with Lea riding her bike to and from work.
Milan: The Swan Company
The Swan Company follows the lives of seven talented musicians attending the prestigious and highly competitive Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. This series has two seasons, with 12 episodes per season. We get to learn about each of the students as they face academic, familial and personal hurdles together as students and friends.
Particularly gripping are the stories of Matteo, a violinist who arrives at the Academy after experiencing a devastating earthquake in his hometown of Amatrice, and Sara, who is visually impaired.
The company’s maestro is so strict and demanding that he’s nicknamed “The Bastard.” But under that cold exterior, he is deeply committed to the success of his students’ musical careers and to his institution.
In this series, Anna Valle plays Irene, the wife of the beloved and also feared maestro and we learn that the couple experienced a terrible tragedy, losing a child, that has shaped their lives.
The music, musicians and acting are beyond dazzling. More than 1,800 talented musicians, most of them first-time actors, were selected to play the core student roles.
Milan is the setting for this eminently bingeable coming-of-age series. Like New York, Milan is a city of dreams for people not only from Italy but also from around the world. Most of the story takes place within the cloistered walls of the famous music academy, located in a former Baroque convent in central Milan.
Viewers also will see the city’s iconic landmarks, including the Duomo, Galleria, Castello Sforzesco and Parco Sempione. Different neighborhoods shown include the trendy Navigli District and the newer Porta Nuova residential area with its “Vertical Forest.”
Why These Northern Italian TV Series Captivated Me
Italian television has mastered the art of mélo storytelling. These three series tell real-life stories grounded in Italian style and culture, with settings that almost feel like part of the story. I always learn something new watching them, pick up some Italian words or phrases, discover new dishes, or find a place I would like to visit or return to.
Admittedly, I’m not a typical groupie, but I love watching Anna Valle. A former model, she is also a wonderful actress whom I first “met” when I watched her in another series, Sorelle. She is poised, elegant, graceful, and able to express a range of emotions in every complex role. Even when her name is in the title of the series, she’s always part of an equally talented ensemble cast.
Planning Your Virtual Visit to Northern Italy
If you’re ready to join me, all three series are available to stream in Italian and are subtitled in English.
- My Ballerina (La Compagnia del Cigno) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
- Nurse Lea is on Amazon Prime Video.
- The Swan Company is available on MHz Choice, an add-on to Prime Video, which features international movies and series.
Which would you watch first?
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