Flaneur in Bologna

Like you might have guessed, I am quite a fan of movies, Cineteca di Bologna and open air screenings. Therefore, could I restrain myself from writing a post about Sotto le stelle del cinema? Certainly not. This summer, most of the program is a tribute to Italian cinema, from famous titles of the sixties’ and fifties'”Commedia all’Italiana” to some more recent productions. I selected five titles for you to enjoy a journey in time and, especially, in space. Here’s my list of five movies (and some info on their locations) for you to travel from a Sicilian beach to a castle in Abruzzo, from a lavishly green wood to a Mediterranean island, while comfortably sitting in Piazza Maggiore. Buon viaggio.

Il racconto dei racconti (Matteo Garrone, 2015)

Movie: Winner of 7 David di Donatello awards, this baroque film celebrates seventieth century’s  Gianbattista Basile’s collection of tales Lo cunto de li cunti. Everything tale-like you could ask for is there: monsters, virgins, villains, kings, strange animals, castles and labyrinths.   Locations: Sasseto wood in Lazio, Roccascalegna castle in Abruzzo, Alcantara throats and Donnafugata castle and labyrinth in Sicily. When: July 17th

Bella e perduta (Pietro Marcello, 2015)

Movie: a visionary reflection on time, men and beasts, the film focuses on the epic figure of the late Tommaso Cestrone, self-proclamied guardian of the otherwise abandoned Reggia del Carditello. Locations: Campania’s Carditello Mansion, Lazio’s Tuscia countryside. When: July 19th

Respiro (Emanuele Crialese, 2002)

Movie: set in the Sixties, the film portrays a fisherman’s wife whose desire to be free is all but tolerated in the little island where she lives with her family, and will eventually lead her to isolation and madness. Location: Crialese’s movie is above all  a declaration of love for the rough beauty and sensual colors of Lampedusa island, also portrayed in another, very different movie on the program, the more recent Fuocoammare from Francesco Rosi. When: July 29th

Operazione San Gennaro (Dino Risi, 1966)

Movie: an American gangster’s and a neapolitan gang’s plans for the perfect theft collide when the two parts appear to have different opinions on whether it’s a good idea to steal the treasure of Naples’ saint patron Saint Gennaro. Location: Naples’ infamous “vicoli spagnoli”, Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral, Ercolano. When: August 11th

Profumo di donna (Dino Risi, 1974)

Movie:  blind former colonel Fausto Consolo asks an army cadet to help him travel from Turin to Naples. Sounds familiar? About twenty years later it was remade in Hollywood, with the title Scent of a woman, with Al Pacino in the lead role. Locations: Turin’s Palazzo Vittoria, Genoa’s port. When: August 13th