Dream Elixir

Milan, 1862. In his distillery laboratory beneath the arcades of the Coperto dei Figini, Gaspare Campari mixes flowers, spices and citrus peels. He has only recently arrived from the countryside, full of hope for the success of his café in Novara, and in the rapidly changing metropolis, he is determined to make his dream come true. Gaspare is searching for something that doesn't yet exist: the perfect elixir to appeal to elegant ladies, intellectuals and men of the world. Soon, he succeeds: Campari is born, an unmistakably red drink with a sweet bitterness, destined to become an icon.

From that moment on, Gaspare's rise is unstoppable. The year is 1867, and in the new Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Caffè Campari opens its doors, a popular meeting place for politicians, writers, musicians from the nearby Teatro alla Scala, and journalists from the newly founded newspaper Corriere della Sera. But when Gaspare suddenly dies, leaving behind five children and an extraordinary widow with fiery red hair, it becomes clear that the succession will not go according to his plans.

The bold and enterprising Letizia takes the helm of the family business, preparing it for the future and passing it on to her sons, Davide and Guido. But they couldn't be more different: the first is a visionary and power-hungry, the second a passionate rebel. Clashes between the two brothers over their father's legacy are inevitable.

Against a backdrop of ill-fated loves, loneliness, bold decisions and revolutionary changes, a story unfolds that is both moving and fascinating. It is the saga of a family that, with its unmistakably red drink, wrote the history of Milan.