{ "id": "epdkzeskz5", "slug": "luna-nera", "title": "Luna Nera", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres", "label": "Genre and subject-scripted series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series", "label": "Fantasy, supernatural, and horror series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series.horror-drama-and-thriller-series", "label": "Horror drama and thriller series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series.horror-drama-and-thriller-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series.horror-drama-and-thriller-series.supernatural-and-occult-dramas", "label": "Supernatural and occult dramas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series.horror-drama-and-thriller-series.supernatural-and-occult-dramas" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series.horror-drama-and-thriller-series.supernatural-and-occult-dramas.alpha-symbols-to-l", "label": "Titles symbols to L", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series.horror-drama-and-thriller-series.supernatural-and-occult-dramas.alpha-symbols-to-l" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres", "label": "Western Europe · 2001 to 2020: Genre and subject-scripted series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001", "label": "Western Europe · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres", "label": "Genre and subject-scripted series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Luna Nera (Black Moon) is an Italian Netflix historical fantasy series, 31 January 2020, six episodes, created by Manieri, Paolucci, and Triana from Triana's Le città perdute; a 17th-century midwife accused of witchcraft, hunted by the Benandanti; canceled after one season.", "snippet": "Luna Nera (Black Moon) is an Italian Netflix historical fantasy series, 31 January 2020, six episodes, created by Manieri, Paolucci, and Triana from Triana's Le città perdute; a 17th-century midwife accused of witchcraft, hunted by the Benandanti; canceled after one season.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_genres.fantasy_supernatural_series.horror-drama-and-thriller-series.supernatural-and-occult-dramas.alpha-symbols-to-l", "markdown": "# Luna Nera\n\n**Luna Nera** (English: Black Moon) is an Italian historical fantasy television series released on Netflix on 31 January 2020, set in 17th-century Italy and centered on a teenage midwife accused of witchcraft who finds refuge among a hidden community of women with supernatural powers[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/404769/) • [2](https://www.netflix.com/it/title/80244780?source=35). It was created by Francesca Manieri, Laura Paolucci, and Tiziana Triana, produced by Fandango, and distributed by Netflix as an Italian original[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/404769/) • [3](https://www.repubblica.it/serietv/schede/luna-nera/3580/).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Six episodes, all released on Netflix on 31 January 2020; average runtime about 45 minutes[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/404769/) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/36283/luna-nera) |\n| Source | Adapted from the first volume of Tiziana Triana's trilogy *Le città perdute*[3](https://www.repubblica.it/serietv/schede/luna-nera/3580/) |\n| Creative team | Created by Francesca Manieri, Laura Paolucci, and Tiziana Triana; directed by Francesca Comencini, Susanna Nicchiarelli, and Paola Randi[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/404769/) |\n| Setting | 17th-century Italy, in a fictional village of the Tuscia in the Lazio countryside[2](https://www.netflix.com/it/title/80244780?source=35) • [5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html) |\n| Lead cast | Antonia Fotaras as Ade, with Giorgio Belli, Manuela Mandracchia, Federica Fracassi, and Lucrezia Guidone[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/404769/) |\n| Status | Canceled after one season; no second season was produced[6](https://www.soononnetflix.com/show/726/luna-nera) |\n| Reception | IMDb rating 5.9/10 from about 3,900 user votes[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8403622/ratings/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and story\n\nThe series is set in a dark, superstitious 17th-century Italy where women could be accused of witchcraft and condemned to death[3](https://www.repubblica.it/serietv/schede/luna-nera/3580/). Its protagonist is Ade, a sixteen-year-old midwife played by Antonia Fotaras, who is skilled at her trade and gifted with unusual sensitivity[3](https://www.repubblica.it/serietv/schede/luna-nera/3580/). In the opening episode, \"Omen\", Ade has a dark premonition while helping her grandmother deliver a baby; after the strange death of the newborn, the two women are accused of witchcraft and condemned to death, and Ade must flee her village with her younger brother[2](https://www.netflix.com/it/title/80244780?source=35) • [5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html).\n\n**The two sides of the conflict.** Ade takes refuge with a mysterious community of women living at the edge of the forest, marginalized by society as witches and known as the Lost Cities (Le città perdute)[3](https://www.repubblica.it/serietv/schede/luna-nera/3580/) • [5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html). These women claim powers that others do well to fear, which would be unleashed in conjunction with a mysterious eclipse[5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html). Hunting them are the Benandanti, literally \"the good walkers\", a sect of men supported by the [Catholic Church](https://www.edgepedia.org/catholic-church)[3](https://www.repubblica.it/serietv/schede/luna-nera/3580/) • [8](https://aisberg.unibg.it/retrieve/98bd5107-9792-4fb7-ae84-7b931f2d3a82/Com%20soc%201-25.pdf). The Benandanti draw on figures of Italian folklore, a shamanic peasant cult traditionally said to protect the fields from the action of witches[8](https://aisberg.unibg.it/retrieve/98bd5107-9792-4fb7-ae84-7b931f2d3a82/Com%20soc%201-25.pdf).\n\nA romantic plot runs through the season: Ade falls in love with Pietro, son of the Benandanti leader Sante, so that her boyfriend's father is the very man hunting her for witchcraft[2](https://www.netflix.com/it/title/80244780?source=35) • [9](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/lunanera-s1review/). Ade is forced to choose between this impossible love and fulfilling her destiny[5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html). The six episodes, titled Omen, Liber, Voces, Fatum, Arma, and Lux, build to a climactic confrontation between the witches and the Benandanti in which lives and loves are transformed[2](https://www.netflix.com/it/title/80244780?source=35) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/36283/luna-nera).\n\n## Title and themes\n\nThe title refers both to the astronomical phenomenon of the black moon and to its symbolism as an expression of liberation from patriarchal domination[8](https://aisberg.unibg.it/retrieve/98bd5107-9792-4fb7-ae84-7b931f2d3a82/Com%20soc%201-25.pdf). An academic analysis in *Comunicazioni sociali* describes the series as a contemporary fantasy set in a mimetic historical world intersecting with a non-mimetic secret world, in which the historical drama of the [Inquisition](https://www.edgepedia.org/inquisition) intertwines with an occult struggle between good and evil; the Lost Cities in fact possess extraordinary powers that let them protect the world and oppose Marzio Oreggi, a bishop secretly bent on evil[8](https://aisberg.unibg.it/retrieve/98bd5107-9792-4fb7-ae84-7b931f2d3a82/Com%20soc%201-25.pdf).\n\nThe production was framed around a female creative team. The writing staff was entirely female, comprising Triana herself, Francesca Manieri, Laura Paolucci, and Valentina Picciarelli, and Italian press presented the show as an all-Italian fantasy focused on the witch hunts of the 1600s, a century of the Scientific Revolution and religious fanaticism[5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html). Susanna Mastroianni designed the costumes and Laura Buffoni was executive producer[5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html).\n\n## Production and filming\n\nThe series entered production before its source novel had even appeared in bookstores; Triana had just begun publishing the *Le città perdute* saga with the publisher Sonzogno, and Francesca Comencini joined as artistic director and director of the project alongside Paola Randi and Susanna Nicchiarelli[5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html). Shooting lasted sixteen weeks in Lazio[5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html).\n\n**Locations.** The 17th-century sets were rebuilt at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome[10](https://www.italyformovies.it/film-serie-tv-games/detail/6805/). The fictional village of Serra, home of Pietro's family and the base of the Benandanti, was filmed in Celleno (VT), a ghost village atop a tuff spur surrounded by gorges, cliffs, waterfalls, and ponds[10](https://www.italyformovies.it/film-serie-tv-games/detail/6805/). Other locations included Sorano (GR), particularly the areas near the vie Cave and the road to the Porta dei Merli, the Castle of Montecalvello near Viterbo, and Sutri (VT)[10](https://www.italyformovies.it/film-serie-tv-games/detail/6805/).\n\nThe cast combined eight debuting performers and emerging talents, including Antonia Fotaras, Giada Gagliardi, Adalgisa Manfrida, Lucrezia Guidone, Barbara Ronchi, and Giorgio Belli, with established stage and screen actors such as Manuela Mandracchia and Federica Fracassi[5](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html).\n\n## Release and reception\n\nNetflix announced the project in April 2018 among a batch of new European productions, and the completed series premiered on 31 January 2020 with all six episodes released simultaneously[11](https://time.com/5244936/netflix-new-shows-movies-2018/) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/404769/). It arrived a week after *The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina*, in a market crowded with supernatural series[9](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/lunanera-s1review/).\n\nReception was mixed. On IMDb the series holds a 5.9/10 rating from about 3,900 votes, with individual first-season episodes scoring between 6.1 and 6.5[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8403622/ratings/). The Review Geek's season review praised the dark tone, the production design with its muted colors and dazzling magic effects, and the storyline between the characters Valente and Leptis, but criticized underdeveloped plot points, weak chemistry between Ade and Pietro, and a promising science-versus-religion debate abandoned midway through the season, giving a verdict of 5/10[9](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/lunanera-s1review/). Reviewers quoted by FilmAffinity similarly found the first episode confusing while seeing the nugget of a fine story[12](https://www.filmaffinity.com/au/pro-reviews.php?movie-id=812149). An academic assessment noted that critics pointed to formal and narrative shortcomings, describing the interweaving of fantasy and history as a fragile knot that emphasizes the gender issue while avoiding much of the historical context[8](https://aisberg.unibg.it/retrieve/98bd5107-9792-4fb7-ae84-7b931f2d3a82/Com%20soc%201-25.pdf).\n\n**After one season.** The series was canceled and no second season was produced; Netflix issued no official statement on the decision[6](https://www.soononnetflix.com/show/726/luna-nera). The story's later arcs remain unresolved on screen, and readers seeking a conclusion can turn to the *Le città perdute* trilogy, of which the series adapted only the first book[6](https://www.soononnetflix.com/show/726/luna-nera).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Luna Nera, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/404769/)\n2. [Luna Nera, official Netflix page](https://www.netflix.com/it/title/80244780?source=35)\n3. [Luna nera, Serie tv, la Repubblica](https://www.repubblica.it/serietv/schede/luna-nera/3580/)\n4. [Luna Nera, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/36283/luna-nera)\n5. [Luna Nera, il fantasy in Italia lo fanno le donne, ANSA (9 January 2020)](https://www.ansa.it/amp/sito/notizie/cultura/tv/2020/01/09/luna-nera-il-fantasy-in-italia-lo-fanno-donne_8db80fc7-abb2-46f5-8143-a1c40fd66fc8.html)\n6. [Luna Nera, Soon On Netflix](https://www.soononnetflix.com/show/726/luna-nera)\n7. [Luna Nera (2020), IMDb ratings](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8403622/ratings/)\n8. [«Comunicazioni sociali», 2025, n. 1, pp. 135–147, Università di Bergamo](https://aisberg.unibg.it/retrieve/98bd5107-9792-4fb7-ae84-7b931f2d3a82/Com%20soc%201-25.pdf)\n9. [Luna Nera – Netflix Full Season 1 Review, The Review Geek](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/lunanera-s1review/)\n10. [Luna Nera, le location, Italy for Movies](https://www.italyformovies.it/film-serie-tv-games/detail/6805/)\n11. [Netflix Just Announced a Bunch of New Shows and Movies, Time (18 April 2018)](https://time.com/5244936/netflix-new-shows-movies-2018/)\n12. [Pro reviews, Luna Nera, FilmAffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/au/pro-reviews.php?movie-id=812149)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series › Fantasy, supernatural, and horror series › Horror drama and thriller series › Supernatural and occult dramas › Titles symbols to L*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/luna-nera", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/luna-nera.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Luna Nera\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/luna-nera. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Luna Nera](https://www.edgepedia.org/luna-nera)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/luna-nera](https://www.edgepedia.org/luna-nera). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Luna Nera\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/luna-nera. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Luna Nera is an Italian Netflix historical fantasy series, 31 January 2020, six episodes, created by Manieri, Paolucci, and Triana from Triana's Le città perdute; a 17th-century midwife accused of witchcraft, hunted by the Benandanti; canceled after one season." }