The Madonna of the Almonds

Bernardino Luini, favourite apprentice of Leonardo da Vinci, is commissioned to paint a religious fresco in the hills of Lombardy. His eye is caught by the beautiful Simonetta di Saronno, a young noblewoman who has lost her husband to battle. Captivated by her beauty and sadness, Bernardino paints Simonetta’s likeness, immortalising her as the Madonna in his miraculous frescoes in Saronno’s chruch. As the sittings progress, artist and model fall in love, and Simonetta reciprocates by creating a drink from the juice of almonds – the famous Amaretto di Saronno. As the frescoes and the liqueur near their completion, the couple’s affair distils into a heady brew of religious scandal which threatens their love, and ultimately their lives.