The House by the Medlar-Tree is the best known novel by Giovanni Verga. In Sicily lives the Toscano family, who, has been nicknamed (for antiphrasis) the Malavoglia (‘The Lazy Ones’). The main source of family income is la Provvidenza (the Providence), which is a small fishing boat. Padron Ntoni (the head of family) attempts a business venture and buys a large amount of lupins. A film based on the story of The House by the Medlar-Tree, La Terra Trema was directed by Luchino Visconti. The stories collected in Under the Shadow of Etna are drawn from the Sicily of Giovanni Verga’s childhood, reported at the time to be the poorest place in Europe. Here it is grim reality. The poor and weak go relentlessly to the wall.