Salvatore "Salvo" Montalbano is a police inspector in the deceptively quiet small town of Vigàta, Sicily, where complicated crimes tend to happen.
With the help of his colleagues, he sets out to solve those, in the meanwhile trying to keep his relationship with his mainlander girlfriend Livia.
The character proved to be so popular that a spinoff prequel series was created in 2012, Il Giovane Montalbano (The Young Montalbano).
This series contains examples of:
- The Alleged Car: Montalbano's knackered and filthy Fiat. The prequel series shows he has had it since it was new.
- Always Murder: Almost every episode has a murder, even if it starts as something else. Patience of the Spider doesn’t have a murder, but it does have an impressive character assassination.
- Big Eater: Montalbano doesn't refrain from indulging in Sicilian specialities. And he never speaks while he eats (so that he can concentrate in the taste of the food).
- Blaming the Cuckold: One episode begins with Montalbano finally seemingly about to marry his girlfriend Livia, only for his good friend and Deputy Mimi to reveal they'd secretly been having an affair behind his back. Everyone there, including the priest, blames Montalbano for driving Livia into his arms by neglecting her all these years. As the whole thing turns out to just be a nightmare Montalbano was having, it's implied to be a representation of his own insecurities.
- British Brevity: Despite the show having gone on since 1999 and it having 15 seasons as of March 2021, the series only has 37 episodes, as the seasons have either two or four episodes, with the exception of season 15 which has only one episode. Each episode is 90 minutes long, though.
- Catchphrase: Montalbano sono!note (pronouncing the n as gn from "sign") whenever he's on the phone or introduces himself.
- Friend in the Press Nicolò Zito is a TV journalist for Vigàta's local TV station Rete Libera and a very close friend of Montalbano. In several cases, his connections have allowed him to alert Montalbano to events occurring off the police's radar or provide valuable context to explain the crimes Montalbano is investigating. He is also always willing to make use of his influence on the public to assist Montalbano in exposing criminals through his cunning gambits.
- Generation Xerox: Fazio Senior and Junior are very fond of making Long Lists about whatever they are researching.
- Genius Ditz: Catarella is a clumsy and simple-minded Malaproper but also the only one in the entire office that knows how to use a computer. He also sometimes discovers something important for the investigation.
- Long-Distance Relationship: Montalbano and Livia. Many subplots are made of the complications of making this relationship work.
- Missing Mom: Montalbano's mother died when he was a kid.
- Running Gag:
- Catarella either slams the door open, or opens them veeeeeery slowly. And he will always say people's names incorrectly.
- Salvo always forgets to pick Livia up.
- Fazio elaborating on his investigation.
- Salvo is often interrupted by a phone call when he's about to consume his meals at home, which causes him much distress.
- Dr Pasquano having something hilariously nasty to say to Montalbano.
- Shout-Out: the surname Montalbano was chosen by Camilleri in honour of the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, whose main character, detective Pepe Carvalho, shares quite a few traits with Camilleri's character.
