Il giovane Montalbano

Excellent from start to finish. Hungover on the sofa one night and no remote in easy reach I found myself watching a subtitled Italian programme. Not usually a fan of such things but I was hooked straight away. I loved every second of it, the characters are compelling and the scenery is magical. The stories unfold like satin sheets and being a foodie I adore the culinary thread that is woven into the plot. (I have now made 'Aubergine Parmigiano' for the first time as a result.) I'd never heard of 'The young Montalbano' before or the original series 'Inspector Montalbano'. I've now bought the original series too and an Italian language course to help me understand and enjoy it to the fullest.

Being a fan of UK and Scandinavian police/crime series in the main, I try to widen my horizons and see what other countries tend to offer in the similar area. So I was somewhat referred to this series - and it captivated me from the beginning. Another so-called locality-based series, where the crime or its solution itself are not of the main importance, but the charisma of the characters-performers and local touch influence the viewers most. I did not have a joy of recognition as I have never visited Sicily, but the pleasant environment and landscape were a nice supporting cast. Later, when watching Il commissario Montalbano, the events and past depicted here provided a solid background understanding.

As this Series and particularly the leading character and performance were so pleasant, it took me some time later to get accustomed to Luca Zingaretti´s Montalbano. And I still find several characters more interesting here (e.g. Mimi or Catarella).

And now, well, I would really like to visit Sicily...

This series is much more about the relationships between the various characters than about the crimes and criminals. The lead actors are absolutely pitch perfect for their parts. The cinematography is wonderful. You feel like you live in Vigata. The extra frisson of tension added by the mafia builds tension. But the tension is also about each character and how they manage to work together and support each other.

This series is SO MUCH BETTER than the old Montalbano series in every way. We watched all 12 in the two seasons and wanted to watch 12 more. We watch about 5 of the other series, which has many more episodes, and got bored.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The spin-off of the Montalbano series is even better than the original! Absolutely recommended.

This series unfolds how Montalbano starts as an inspector.

The settings are sumptuous, the acting is great and the plot lines do not leave you scratching your head at the end. But each story builds real tension. What is most appealing is the humanity of the show. Placing the action in Sicily creates many dramatic possibilities and provides a wonderful backdrop to the stories, full of craggy fishermen, giant butchers, mafiosi, corrupt politicians and amusing colleagues.

I am amazed this only gets a 6 point something score on IMDb - which shows the limitations of that sort of scoring. In terms of pure entertainment value it is, for me, one of the best TV shows currently available. One of the sub plots is the relationship Montalbano has with Livia, his beautiful architect girlfriend. How the relationship starts is presented in an entirely believable way.

Great TV series not to be missed if you do not mind subtitles and meditations on excellent Italian cooking!