Italo Calvino - Marcovaldo (Omnibus)

ITALO CALVINO - MARCOVALDO (OMNIBUS) (320kbs-m4a/159mb/69mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 23rd February 2025

Marcovaldo is a poor rural man now living with his growing family in a big city in northern Italy.

Italo Calvino's enchanting collection of five short stories.

Omnibus of dramatisations by Toby Jones.

From a translation by William Weaver.

* MUSHROOMS IN THE CITY - Marcovaldo finds mushrooms growing by the tram stop, but is dismayed to find that he isn't the only one who has spotted them.

* MOON AND THE GNAC - A neon sign thwarts Marcovaldo's efforts to teach his children about the night sky.

* THE RAIN AND THE LEAVES - Marcovaldo's increasing obsession with nurturing a plant brings surprising results.

* THE WRONG STOP - Marcovaldo gets lost in thick fog after a night at the cinema.

* SMOKE, WIND AND SOAP-BUBBLES - Marcovaldo’s children attempt to make money selling detergent samples.

Narrator ...... Toby Jones
Marcovaldo ...... Mackenzie Crook
Amadigi ...... Lloyd Hutchinson
Isolina ...... Isla Johnston
Michelino ...... Aaron Gelkoff
Pietruccio ...... Tyler Howitt
Fiordaligi/ Godifredo ...... Ashley Margolis
Domitilla/ Receptionist ...... Deborah Mcandrew
Viligelmo/Shopkeeper ...... Mark Bonnar

Director: Nadia Molinari

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2021.