The Leopard: Chapter 2. Donnafugata Summary & Analysis

In August, a parade of dusty carriages moves toward a line of eucalyptus trees; sweating inhabitants peer hopefully out the windows. The Salina family had set out early that morning and spent hours trudging through the blazing-hot hills. The trees are the sign that they’re within a few hours of their destination. They alight from the carriages and refresh themselves at the wells before lunch. The Prince is excited to be nearing Donnafugata, a place he loves. Tancredi is among the group, now sporting an eyepatch from a wound suffered at Palermo.

An hour later, as the family continues through familiar lands, the Prince is still beaming. He always enjoys spending three months at Donnafugata, but especially now, with Palermo in an excited uproar of welcoming Garibaldi. It all seems rather petty to the Prince now, as he believes that the economic and social situation in Sicily hasn’t changed, just as he’d predicted. The Piedmontese, or Garibaldini, had visited their Palermo estate in June, with enough warning from Tancredi to let him remove a portrait of King Ferdinand. The soldiers behaved with such courtesy that the Prince was reassured. They were even invited back for dinner, and the Piedmontese general arranged to get Father Pirrone an exemption from the expulsion of Jesuits and granted permits for the family’s annual trip. The three-day journey had been grueling. The roads were rutted and the inns filled with bugs. The Prince couldn’t help comparing the monotony of the journey to his own middle-aged position in life.

At the entrance to the town, Donnafugata’s authorities and a group of peasants stand waiting. As the carriages appear, the band strikes up a song from one of Verdi’s operas, and church bells ring. Everything seems reassuringly typical. Among the dignitaries, the Prince is greeted by the new town mayor, Don Calogero Sedàra, who’s wearing a tricolor sash. The cathedral organist, Don Ciccio Tumeo, who is the Prince’s friend and hunting partner, has also brought the Prince’s favorite hunting dog, Teresina.

The Prince is in high spirits, and the crowd of peasants looks on without hostility—the Prince has always been kind to them, overlooking their small rents. Tancredi draws attention as well; everyone knows about his wounding in battle, and he charms the crowd with his jokes and approachability. Before entering the palace, the family proceeds to the cathedral for a Te Deum. On houses, fading slogans like “Viva Garibaldi” and “Death to the Bourbon King” are still visible.

After the service, the Princess invites the Mayor and a couple of other dignitaries to dinner; everyone is amazed when the Mayor invites along his daughter Angelica. Before the family departs the town square, the Prince turns to the crowd and says that, after dinner, the family will be happy to see all their friends. For a long time, the people of Donnafugata discuss this remark. The Prince has never issued such an invitation before, and his prestige begins to decline from that moment forward.

The Salina palace in Donnafugata is massive, located just off the square and composed of numerous buildings grouped around three big courtyards. Don Onofrio Rotolo, the steward, solemnly greets the family and welcomes them back to the estate, which is in the exact condition in which they had left it. (Don Onofrio is renowned for once having left the Princess’s liqueur sitting untouched for an entire year.) The Prince takes an approving tour of the palace, looking as it always has, and praises Don Onofrio, who is surprised and touched.

Over tea, Don Onofrio catches the Prince up on local news—chiefly, Don Calogero’s rise in fortunes. Through land acquisitions and profitable grain sales, Don Calogero’s income has risen to rival the Prince’s. Through his activity in the liberal cause, he has also gained political influence. The family puts on airs, Don Onofrio complains, especially now that Angelica is back from school in Florence. The Prince acknowledges that, while some things have clearly changed in Donnafugata, this is the price that must be paid in order for things to stay the same.

The Prince proceeds upstairs for his bath, savoring the peace of the house. Just as he’s about to doze off in the tub, the Prince’s valet brings an urgent message from Father Pirrone; he must speak to the Prince at once. Trying to dress before the priest enters, the Prince emerges naked from the tub just as Father Pirrone walks in, to their mutual embarrassment. The Prince dries himself with as much dignity as he can muster. Father Pirrone hesitates over his news, but at the Prince’s impatience, admits that Concetta is in love and has asked the priest to tell her father. The Prince, though he is only 45, feels old at once.

The Prince knows without being told that Concetta loves Tancredi, and he is annoyed that his arrival at Donnafugata will be ruined by this silliness. He asks Father Pirrone for advice, and the priest struggles; he has always found Tancredi charming, yet he dislikes the young man’s political allegiances. He explains that a proposal hasn’t yet come. The Prince is surprised when the idea of a proposal strikes him as a “danger.” The Prince loves and admires Tancredi and believes he’ll lead the nobility in a counterattack against the State someday, if he gets enough money. The Prince can’t picture Concetta accompanying an ambitious husband in a demanding political role. He tells Father Pirrone that they’ll discuss all this later. As the Prince gets dressed, he hears the church bell tolling a death knell, and he envies the deceased.

Later the Prince visits the garden, where Tancredi catches him gazing at a sensual-looking sculpture, lost in memories. Tancredi teases him about his interest in the statue; the Prince brushes off his annoyance and joins his nephew in admiring the succulent peaches that are ripening in the orchard. Tancredi jokingly contrasts decorous, fruitful love with illicit love, making the Prince uncomfortable as they head back to the palace.

Later that evening, Francesco Paolo bursts into the room with the announcement that Don Calogero has arrived—and he’s dressed in tails. The Prince is rattled—it’s not typical for guests to wear evening clothes at Donnafugata. Obviously, Don Calogero is making a statement. The Prince’s discomfort is soothed when he sees that Don Calogero’s suit is ill-fitting and that his boots don’t match the outfit.

Five minutes later, Don Calogero’s daughter Angelica makes a breathtaking entrance. Her height, creamy complexion, striking eyes, and self-confident movements make an impression on everyone there, especially compared to the unkempt 13-year-old of a few years ago. The Prince, attracted, uses gracious tones as he greets her. Though Tancredi says little, he is enchanted.

As everyone tucks into the delicious dinner, a calm, accompanied by a  “whiff of sensuality,” fills the house. Only Concetta doesn’t feel this; her heart is breaking, as she senses that Tancredi, despite his best efforts to pay them equal attention, is more attracted to Angelica than to her. She watches for every sign of “ill breeding” in Angelica’s looks and behavior and clings to these hopefully. Tancredi notices these characteristics too, but mostly he sees a beautiful, wealthy girl—and he is intoxicated.

After dinner, Tancredi tells Angelica the story of the battle of Palermo, which he describes as great fun. In particular, he describes a night at the end of May when the soldiers broke into a convent in order to secure a lookout post on its roof. He laughs about the elderly nuns’ fear of the young men and a friend, Tassoni’s, impertinent joke that the men would return when the nuns had some young novices available. When Angelica appears to be titillated by this story, Tancredi makes a coarse joke about her, too, and she laughs. Concetta, however, is offended. With tears in her eyes, she tells Tancredi that such stories should be confessed to a priest, not told to young ladies.

That night, the Prince gazes toward the stars from his bedroom balcony, longing to be “a pure intellect” engaged in calculations guaranteed to work out. Stars, after all, don’t have to worry about marriage dowries. Between Don Calogero, Concetta, Tancredi, and Angelica, today has been a bad day—and the Prince feels that it’s a warning of worse to come.

On the second day in Donnafugata, the Salina family customarily visits the Convent of the Holy Spirit to pray at the tomb of the Prince’s ancestor Blessed Corbèra, who founded the convent. The Prince is the only man permitted to enter, a privilege he’s proud of, and he always looks forward to visiting. As the family waits in the parlor for admittance, Tancredi insistently asks the Prince to get him permission for a visit as well, since the rule technically permits the Prince to bring a guest. At this, Concetta icily jokes that she saw a wooden beam outside—perhaps Tancredi could use it to break down the convent’s door, she says, just as he did in Palermo. Tancredi falls silent, blushing, and spends the visit pacing outside.

After an otherwise successful visit, the family returns home, and when the Prince paces on the library balcony, he catches sight of Tancredi, wearing what Tancredi calls his “seduction color” of dark blue. A servant follows carrying a box filled with fresh peaches. The pair walks to the Sedàras’ door.