Arriving in Italy from Sicily in 1861, Vittorio Speranza sets up as a fine art dealer After an early success, his hope of a dynastic succession is dashed by a family feud His son Niccolo changed his name to Nicholas Hope and opens a Sale Room in London However, the family link endures, surviving the depression and Hitler, and the Anglo-Italian houses of Speranza and Hope are united into a flourishing and dynamic entity