Borgia
Before the Mafia, there was the Borgia.
Borgia (2011-2014)
Seasons: 3,
episodes: 38
Episode runtime: 52 min
Canal+
Average rating:
8/10
45 407
Production
Status
Completed
Creators
Tom Fontana
Scenario
Audrey Fouché
Producer
Actors
John Doman
Rodrigo Borgia
Andrea Sawatzki
Adriana de Mila
Mark Ryder
Cesare Borgia
Assumpta Serna
Vannozza Catanei
Marta Gastini
Giulia Farnese
Stanley Weber
Juan Borgia
Rafael Cebrian
Rodrigo Borgia Lanzol
Diarmuid Noyes
Alessandro Farnese
Short description
The name Borgia stands for betrayal, intrigue and corruption in the Vatican, which was the center of the world during the Renaissance.
Seasons
| Season | Episodes | Release date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 2011-10-10 | 5.9 | |
| 12 | 2013-03-18 | 5.6 | |
| 14 | 2014-09-15 | 5.2 |
What's left behind the scenes
- The second and third seasons were partially filmed in Italy (in Rome, Parma, Padua, and other cities).
- In the third season, flamenco is danced at a wedding. In reality, this dance has only been known since the 18th century.
- In the first episode of the first season, as well as in the second season, the characters play a medieval game where a ball is hit over a net by hand or with a racket (jeu de paume). This game appeared in Europe in the 13th or 14th century and later evolved into modern tennis.
- Costumes from classic Italian period films (such as Franco Zeffirelli's 'Taming of the Shrew' and others) were used for the extras.
- The massive bronze pinecone in the square in front of the papal palace in Rome is an actual ancient Roman sculpture, which in the Middle Ages was installed in the courtyard of the old St. Peter's Basilica as part of a fountain. Currently, this pinecone is located in the courtyard of the Belvedere Palace in the Vatican.
- The episodes of the second season set in Spoleto were filmed in the town of Sermoneta, south of Rome, and its surrounding areas. In 1499, Pope Alexander confiscated these estates from the Caetani family and sold them to his daughter, Lucrezia; traces of her residence in the Caetani castle have survived to this day. For instance, in one of the scenes, Isolde Ghaigue, who played Lucrezia, even got to lie in the bed that belonged to her historical prototype. In another scene, Isolde was filmed against a replica of a fresco from the Pinturicchio school, which is said to depict Lucrezia Borgia; the original fresco is located in the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican.
- Paul Rhys, the actor who plays Leonardo da Vinci, also appears in the series 'Da Vinci's Demons' as Vlad the Impaler, who both patronizes and hinders the protagonist, Leonardo da Vinci.
- Scenes taking place at night were filmed with minimal electric light. The creators aimed to reconstruct the atmosphere of an era without electricity, where interiors lit only by candles were shrouded in twilight.
- The characters in the film measure distances in kilometers. The metric system of measurement was not created until the end of the 18th century, 300 years later.
- Episode 4 of the second season describes a monster (a female figure with the head of a donkey and a body covered in fish scales) that inhabited the outskirts of Rome. Indeed, there were reports that such a beast was allegedly seen during the Roman flood of 1495. Later, the image of this specific monster was used by Protestants as a caricature of the Pope.
- Many British actors were considered for the role of Rodrigo Borgia. Ultimately, American John Doman was cast because the series creator, Tom Fontana, who is of Sicilian descent, saw something Mediterranean in him.
- Two characters in the film are treated for syphilis using mercury ointments. In fact, this disease had spread widely across Europe by the beginning of the 16th century.
- Spanish actor Nacho Aldeguer, who plays Pedro Calderón, also played the role of Cesare Borgia in the Spanish historical series 'Isabel'.
- Screenwriter and producer Tom Fontana worked in the Vatican Library while developing the script, requesting translations of period documents from Latin.
- The Renaissance Martinic Palace in Prague, Czech Republic, and the Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola (near Rome), Italy, served as the Roman Papal Palace.
- Spanish actor Manu Fuyola, who plays Vitellozzo Vitelli, played Rodrigo Borgia himself—the future Pope—in the 2006 film 'The Borgias'.
- The man in the black cap who represents the Pope on official occasions is a real historical figure, Master of Ceremonies Johann Burchard. The Master of Ceremonies was an important rank in the papal court, responsible for organizing conclaves, solemn appointments, and diplomatic receptions. Burchard held this position for 23 years under four different popes. Burchard is a key figure for modern historians because he kept detailed diaries. Many of the events depicted in the series are known primarily from Burchard's records.
- In the third season, at the Pope's command, the artist adds images of Native Americans to the 'Resurrection of Christ' fresco. In reality, depictions of Native Americans on this Vatican fresco were uncovered during restoration in 2006.
- The very first scene of the second season is based on real events: in 1497, the statue of the Archangel Michael on the roof of the papal Castel Sant'Angelo was struck by lightning.
- In the first season, the artist depicts Lucrezia Borgia as St. Catherine of Alexandria. Indeed, it is believed that Catherine in the fresco 'The Disputation of St. Catherine of Alexandria with the Philosophers' in the papal apartments bears Lucrezia's facial features.
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