The Best of Youth

A family saga set in Italy which chronicles the life of a middle-class family. It explores the relationship between two brothers Nicola and Matteo as their life paths separate during youth, encompassing major political and social events in post–World War II Italian history.

The Best of Youth (2003) is an Italian national-television historical family saga miniseries created by Marco Tullio Giordana, Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli and broadcast on Rai 1. Across four long episodes of roughly ninety-three minutes each, it follows the Carati family of Rome, centering on the brothers Nicola and Matteo as their paths split in youth and pull them in opposite directions. Their matriarch Adriana anchors the household, while Giorgia, a troubled young woman whose life intersects with the family, and Carlo add further emotional stakes. The engine of the story is the tension between duty and ambition, between staying loyal to family and chasing a personal ideal, and each installment unfolds through ordinary domestic scenes, marriages, careers and quarrels. Political and social events of postwar Italy shape these private decisions without overwhelming them. The mood is melancholic yet warm, reflective and humane, with a patient pace that rewards attention. Fans of Heimat, The Leftovers and Olive Kitteridge will find resonance in its generational sweep and quiet emotional realism.

Critics broadly acclaim the saga for its intimate family portrait and its sweeping engagement with postwar Italian history.

• Heimatsprawling multi-decade family saga tracing siblings through national history, reflective tone
• The Leftoversintimate family drama spanning decades of postwar social change, melancholic and humane
• Olive Kitteridgeepic generational saga of a family woven through political upheaval and personal choices

Created by

Marco Tullio Giordana, Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli

Release Date

2003-12-07

Episode runtime

93 min

Rating

8.4 / 10 (37)

What is The Best of Youth about?

A four-part Italian family saga following two brothers whose lives diverge through the upheavals of postwar Italy.

What is The Best of Youth like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Best of Youth as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is The Best of Youth violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Best of Youth as mild.

What did critics think of The Best of Youth?

Critics broadly acclaim the saga for its intimate family portrait and its sweeping engagement with postwar Italian history.

Which shows are like The Best of Youth?

Shows with a similar feel include Heimat, The Leftovers, and Olive Kitteridge.

How long is The Best of Youth?

The Best of Youth: 1 season, 4 episodes.

Is The Best of Youth still running?

No, The Best of Youth has ended.