The film begins in 1935 in Florence, where a group of cultured expatriate English women – the Scorpioni – meet for tea every afternoon. Young Luca is the out-of-wedlock son of an Italian businessman who has little int… See more

• Joan Plowright as Mary Wallace, a British expatriate who becomes a surrogate mother for Luca
• Maggie Smith as Lady Hester Random, widow of the former British ambassador to Italy… See more

Angela Lansbury was offered the role of Mary Wallace, but had to drop out when her husband became ill. Lady Hester Random is based upon a real resident of Florence whom Zeffirelli knew in his childhood. Zeffirelli me… See more

The film opened tenth at the U.S. box office with $1,633,183 for the weekend, eventually grossing a worldwide total of $45,566,200, considerably more than its budget. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 65% from 4… See more