It is the year 1504, Cesare Borgia has fallen and Imola, his headquarters, is wracked by violence. Two families, as in many Italian stories, are facing each other: Sassatelli and Vaini (corresponding to the Guelfi and Ghibellini factions). The boss of Sassatelli is Giovanni, known as “Il Cagnaccio,” meaning a bad or threatening dog but also a violent, treacherous, cruel person. Il Cagnaccio is feared by everybody, but he and his soldiers are not in town when, at the end of June, Guido Vaini decides to attack Palazzo Sassatelli. His…
