L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE R oma, the head of the world: that's what our ancestors used to say and that's what our title is about. The city has been going through some difficult times lately and we'd ideally like to cheer her up by writing about the reasons she remains, in spite of the rubbish and the bad metro, in spite of criminality and a shaky city council, one of the most magical places on Earth. And what's better than the Silver Screen, the Seventh Art of humankind, to bring some magic into our — and Rome's— everyday's life? Let's take an ideal walk, then, through five of the most famous movie loca- tions of the Città Eterna, to remind ourselves and the world that Roma always, always wins over everything, thanks to her beauty. Here's to you, caput mundi! 1. La Fontana di Trevi Well, I had to start from the Trevi Fountain because one of the most famous scenes in the history of world cinema took place here: Anita Ekberg, long wavy hair down her naked shoulders, clad in black, mel- lowly moves her buttery curves and steps into the fountain, invi- ting a young, handsome Marcello Mastroianni to follow her. That's the heart of Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, the symbol itself of what the movie represented: a joyous, respectful decadence, carefree love, of the kind you could only experience when tasting freedom and wealth after years of poverty and war. When Anita — who looked so exotic to us Italians then, so blonde and algid to a people used to the fiery sensuality of la Loren and la Lollo, or to the pai- ned attractiveness of Anna Magnani — walked into the Trevi Fountain, when she and Mastroianni kissed there, Italy fell in love with itself again: we saw the heart, love and lightness that always belonged to us retur- ning, we saw our country being bella again. Fifteen years after the war ended, that walk and kiss in the Trevi Fountain told us we were ready to love and live again. 2. The Pantheon "Ille hic est Raphael, timuit quo sospite vinci, rerum magna parens et moriente mori:" here lies Raphael: when he was alive, Mother Nature feared to be con- quered by him. Now that he is dead, she fears to die. With this words, poet Pietro Bembo wanted to remember and honor the talent of Raphael, the artist who brought Nature to fear him, so great was his abi- lity to paint her, and led her near death after his passing. Are there more apt, marve- lous words to say about an arti- st? Bembo's epitaph, and Raphael's grave, of course, are in the Pantheon, one of Rome's most popular tourist locations. The building's history is long and complex: commissioned by Marcus Agrippa before the coming of Christ, completed by Hadrian around 126 AD, it bur- ned down and was rebuilt seve- ral times. Born as a temple for all gods, it became a church in the Middle Ages and, today, it's also known as an iconic location for Ron Howard's 2009 Angels and D e m o n s , b a s e d o n t h e h o m o n y m o u s n o v e l b y D a n Brown. If you saw the movie, y o u p r o b a b l y k n o w T o m Hanks/professor Langdon and his companion move around the city quite a lot while looking for the murderer but, contrarily to the Pantheon's scenes, which were filmed on location, many others famous parts of Rome were, in fact, reproduced in Hollywood studios. If you'd like to visit the Pantheon, head to Piazza della Rotonda: the basilica is open every day from 8.30 AM to 7.30 PM. 3. Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin W e a r e i n 1 9 5 1 w h e n Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck film Roman Holiday in our capital. There are several scenes where the city plays an i m p o r t a n t r o l e , t h e m o s t famous of them all probably being the Vespa ride around the C o l o s s e u m . Y e t , t h e r e i s another moment we'd like to remember here, princess Ann and Joe Bradley's visit to the B a s i l i c a o f S a n t a M a r i a i n Cosmedin, a church built in the 6th century AD and restored in the 18th. Its name may not tell you much, but you'll definitely r e c o g n i z e o n e o f i t s m o s t famous attractions, the Mouth of Truth: legend wants that, if you lie while placing your hand inside it, the Mouth of Truth will bite it off. Hepburn and Peck play homage to the tradition in the movie, while showing to the audience yet another peculiar corner of the capital. And then… it's 1950s Rome: does it get really any better than that? Santa Maria in Cosmedin is in Piazza Bocca della Verità, 18. 4. Via Veneto Speaking of 1950s Rome, we cannot avoid mentioning Via Veneto, the epitome of elegance and wealth, old Italian style. And the relationship between Via Veneto and cinema is spe- cial and unique, because it gai- ned its status and most of its allure thanks to a movie, La Dolce Vita. Fellini's masterpie- ce revolved all around the artsy movida that characterized the a r e a i n t h e 1 9 5 0 s a n d V i a Veneto became a symbol of the type of lifestyle — carefree, happy, light hearted — that the movie portrayed. Via Veneto is still that to every Rome lover: a symbol of the city's passion for living lightly, a place where dreaming may be still allowed, even if it may set you back 20 bucks for a cappuccino. 5. Castel Sant'Angelo e Via dei Portoghesi Castel Sant'Angelo is a well k n o w n R o m a n l o c a t i o n : i t ' s close to the Vatican, it has some interesting and spooky history to boot — it was originally a mau- soleum, and its prisons were infamous in the Renaissance — a n d t h e r e ' s e v e n a ( n o t s o ) s e c r e t p a s s a g e j o i n i n g t h e V a t i c a n t o i t , t h e f a m o u s Passetto, created to allow easy escape to the Pope in case of danger. One of the things I per- s o n a l l y l i k e t h e m o s t a b o u t Castel Sant'Angelo is actually the bridge leading to it: lined as it is with white, marble angels, it feels like they are watching and protecting you while you walk towards your own castle. Beside being one of my favo- rite spots and, yes, of course, belonging to the Pope, Castel S a n t ' A n g e l o a n d V i a d e i Portoghesi, a characteristic road nearby, on the other side of the Tiber, both feature preeminently i n o n e o f t h e m o s t r e c e n t movies where Italy's Dolce Vita became protagonist, Eat, Pray, Love, starring Julia Roberts. When Elizabeth, her character, a r r i v e s i n R o m e , C a s t e l S a n t ' A n g e l o f e a t u r e s i n t h e scene, welcoming and beautiful. Elizabeth, then, moves in Via d e i P o r t o g h e s i a n d i s s e e n eating an ice cream sitting on a bench in front of Sant'Agnese in Agone, on Piazza Navona. If you want to visit Castel S a n t ' A n g e l o , h e a d t o Lungotevere Castello, 50. It is open to the public Monday to Wednesday, from 9 AM to 7 PM and Thursday to Sunday from 9 AM to 12 AM. CHIARA D'ALESSIO From left, beautiful Anita Ekberg bathes in the Trevi Fountain, Hepburn and Peck in front of the Bocca della Verità and a night view of Castel Sant'Angelo (Copyright: Dreamstime) Roma Caput Mundi… and cinema! The most iconic movie location of Italy's capital

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