YM was facially similar enough to OM, but I reckon
Catarella was excellent if a little too tall.

Did "Mr Boots" look a bit too old?

But a lovely way to spend a dark evening, nevertheless!

K

Telegraph's guide to Montalbano locations - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...os-island.html

Yesterday's stories were apparently based on parts of a Montalbano short story collection La prima indagine di Montalbano which I don't think has been translated into English yet



Living a rough life in the hills looking after sheep and the suchlike as Mr Boots did is probably going to age you a bit

Young Montalbano made great viewing last night, loved it. Good acting and a very decent story, locations were stunning too, next episode is eagerly awaited. Thanks BBC 4

It was great viewing. I thought Montalbano looked right in his face, expression and gesture (though I kept thinking he was meant to be Fernando Alonso) but he was a little tall. Pretty good choice though.

I'd pick fault just slightly with the fact that the new police station was being kitted out as he arrived, and yet his office was decorated as though he was replacing another Inspector. Maybe there's an explanation.

Overall I'd recommend that as decent Saturday night viewing to anyone with eyesight and some good taste.

When he first saw the police station and talked to Fazio Snr wasn't that a week or so before he was due to start work there??

Possibly therefore between the two times he had sent his stuff on ahead and he had made another visit to Vigata to organise his office

Yes, I'm not suggesting there was no delay, just that when he moved into his office and was taking in his new working environment, it was already 'decorated' and looked previously occupied. Maybe it was his stuff, as you suggest.

I'd assume someone moving into an office of an organisation which had just acquired the premises, the walls would be bare, he'd quite likely have a new desk and his new chair might still be covered in plastic. Even if someone had kindly unpacked the furniture to prepare for his arrival (to impress the new boss), whether everything was new or not, they wouldn't hang his pictures on the walls, or arrange his books in the bookcase for him.

As I said it's a minor thing and didn't affect my enjoyment.

To answer a few questions

"It is a prequel of Inspector Montalbano , as a protagonist Salvo Montalbano at a young age. The drama was written by Andrea Camilleri and Francesco Bruni , and is drawn from the collections A month with Montalbano , Arancini di Montalbano , The fear of Montalbano and The first survey of Montalbano . "

Did Fazio Snr definitely say it was a new building??

Otherwise they may just have been renovating it

I thought it was pretty enjoyable (and, as always, there were a couple of very pretty girls in it) but I can't see why it couldn't have been just a normal episode of Montalbano. There wasn't anything particularly different about it (other than an older Fazio, taller Catarella and a more hirsute Montalbano).

That Fazio was our Fazio's dad

Can you watch this if you have never watched the previous episodes? Really looking for something decent to watch on Saturdays, Any word on when the Bridge 2 is coming? How many more weeks in Montelbano running for? Thanks

5 more weeks after this

I think you can watch this without having watched the original series, it's just that if you have you get the bonus of seeing Salvo's first meetings with his colleagues

I have loved IM since it first appeared on BBC4, anything quirky but Scandi drama for me at the start. Anyway, I have now started reading the books, pretty good too.

As I had all ready read some Donna Leon, and the Venetian detective I found another Italian detective called Chief Superintendent Ferrara, based in Florence, written by Michele Giuttari, who was actually head of the Squadra Mobile in Florence, as a read I suggest giving them a try.

BTW loving young Montalbano.

And also recognising the locations.

You would also not get his lusting after the house on the waterfront which he eventually lives in.

Each story, however, is pretty much self-contained so no problem there.

I think this is a very good prequel! They seem to have done as good a job with this as ITV did with Endeavour - in terms of casting and just little nods to the older character in each programme. The way Michele Riondino plays Salvo really seems similar to how Luca Zingaretti does - you can see that it's the younger him through his mannerisms. I actually think that if Michele's hair wasn't curly he'd look quite like Fernando Alonso! The actor playing younger Catarella also did a very good job of seeming like the older Catarella. I must say though that I had thought that when they said 'young' Montalbano we'd be seeing him in his mid 20s rather than the age of 33! He must only be about 10 years younger than he is in the normal Montalbano series. Obviously we join it at the point that he becomes Inspector and moves to Vigata though.

I also noticed his little Fiat car - here's it's new whereas it's clapped out in the other series.

You mean this programme is based on short stories or novels by Camilleri, as the other series is? I was wondering whether it was based on books or just written straight for TV.

*Edit* - Have just read this:

I find it difficult to keep track of who's who when they rattle off a load of Italian names. For example in this ep a cop explained to Mental(not so)baldo about that Guiseppe guy who punched the elderly driver being the daughter of a woman who is the daughter of a Mafia guy and the sister of someone else - also that Guiseppe is the godson of another Mafia bloke on the other side of his family (I think). This is why I prefer to timeshift it - I'm also more awake when I watch it in the day. Saying that, I'll probably end up watching about the first hour of tomorrow's ep 'live' though.

Except he knows how doors work.

I've been twice to Sicily and made a point of going to the Montalbano filming locations including to his house (which you can rent). The settings are wonderful and redolent of the complex history of Sicily. The series are mostly filmed in winter. In the spring and summer the locations are even more beautiful.

Thank you for posting this article which I missed even though I read the DT. I had my pic taken on the steps of Montalbano's office in Scicli. I was told this was his office and it looked just like it. But when I got home it was a slightly different building to what I saw on TV. So I was confused.

I now realise I was on the steps of the building used in the Young series and not the original. Annoyingly I went to Comiso but didn't know it was a location.

I heartily recommend Ragusa county to viewers of Montalbano. It's a great holiday location if you love decrepit falling down hilltown Italy and low cost peasanty food and wine with great beaches and scenery thrown in. I shall definitely be heading back sometime.

Maybe he'll end up forgetting

That's just happened with the sacred biscuits.
They better give him some coppering to do, he's getting on my nips, none of old caterella's charm, which leavens the comedy nonsense slightly.

I swear that's a shot gun, not a rifle at Ignazio the drunken suspect's house.

So spending New Year's Eve on his own and what we know of his future relationship with Livia and his determination not to get involved with Ingrid - despite her subtle signals - I get tje impression Salvo has always been a loner.

We get to see house.

And a gratuitous shot of him coming out of the shower.

It would have been okay if it had a been a pretty female character of course

I tuned in to practise my Italian. Great programme... and Salvo is luuuurvely

I hope they will carry on showing this, it's a good series.