Dad Brief: Massimo Marcovaldo

By: Brandon Troxell

Disney’s Official Description: Massimo Marcovaldo, Giulia's dad, is an imposing, tattooed, one-armed fisherman of few words, killing anything that swims. Luca and Alberto can't help but be intimidated by his formidable size and skill with a knife, but Massimo has a soft heart, especially for his daughter.

Massimo is the epitome of a gentle giant. Despite his stoic exterior, he is a hardworking and caring father with a passion for hunting sea monsters and fishing. Massimo is well-respected in Porto Rosso, a small fishing village in Italy, where the story takes place, and even feared at times when he must defend those he cares for. His daughter, Giulia, is the pride of his life, and he cares for her deeply. However, as a single father, he faces his own struggles during the summers when she stays with him – as he weighs letting her race in the Porto Rosso Cup, an annual triathlon held by the village that includes swimming, eating pasta, and a bike race.

However, Massimo's true character shines in his care for Alberto Scorfano – a sea monster and Luca and Giulia’s best friend. Alberto’s father abandoned him on an island off the coast of Porto Rosso, leaving him with little of a home to return to. The impact he has bringing Massimo out of his shell is evident when he eats his fettuccini with his bare hand – and it’s only when Luca goes to school with Giulia in Genova that we see that impression at its most evident when Massimo steps up as a father figure to Alberto, giving him a permanent home.

Being a Dad is more than taking care of our own kids. It’s taking care of our communities. We recognize when others need our help and step up to the plate, especially when it concerns our kids and their loved ones.

Massimo represents the best of us: a willingness to keep an open heart and an open mind, to control our emotions instead of allowing them to control us. Niccolo Machiavelli, philosopher and the namesake of the Marcovaldo house cat with indifferent opinions of Luca and Alberto, would say, “[t]here is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.”

Cheers!

Brandon