TV Audience

Rai 1 topped the ratings on Tuesday night with the TV movie dedicated to poet Giovanni Pascoli vs Canale 5's Turkish Series Farah that recorded 1.9 mln viewers.

“Zvanì – The Family Novel of Giovanni Pascoli” aired in prime time on Rai 1 on Tuesday, January 13. The TV movie is a co-production between Rai Fiction and MeMo Films and stars Federico Cesari in the role of Giovanni Pascoli, alongside Benedetta Porcaroli, Liliana Bottone, and Luca Maria Vannuccini, with a special appearance by Riccardo Scamarcio and Margherita Buy.

The story opens in 1912, following Pascoli’s death. A train departs from Bologna carrying students, public officials, and family members to his funeral, including his sister Maria, known as Mariù. The journey becomes a metaphor for national mourning, as people from all social backgrounds pay tribute to the poet. Through Mariù’s memories, Pascoli’s life unfolds: the murder of his father, a youth marked by poverty, his political engagement, and his complex relationship with Giosuè Carducci.

Despite personal and political hardships, Pascoli earns his degree and, after many years, reunites with his sisters. They live together, but family tensions soon emerge: Ida, more independent in spirit, leaves to pursue her own life. Giovanni, celebrated yet deeply unhappy, retreats with Mariù to Castelvecchio. As the funeral train travels on, reality gives way to a surreal dimension, filled with mysterious apparitions that echo the imagery and atmosphere of Pascoli’s poetry.