Terra Nostra is a Brazilian telenovela, produced and broadcast by TV Globo in 1999. The telenovela is written by Benedito Ruy Barbosa and directed by Jayme Monjardim. The story is set in the late 19th century and takes place at a time when slaves were freed in Brazil and there was a need for workers, especially on Brazilian coffee fazendas. This partly resulted in many Italians migrating to Brazil, looking for employment and a better life.