L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 2023 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano for practicing sports such as kite surfing and windsurfing. The Ultima Spiaggia has been an extremely well- organized bathing establish- ment of the Italian progres- s i v e i n t e l l i g e n t s i a f o r d e c a d e s . I n t h e s u m m e r , R o m a n i n t e l l e c t u a l s a n d journalists such as Eugenio S c a l f a r i , f o u n d e r o f L a Repubblica daily newspaper, politicians including former Presidente della Repubblica Giorgio Napolitano and for- mer Rome's mayor Francesco Rutelli and his wife tv pre- senter Barbara Palombelli arrived (and arrive) here on t h e s e b e a c h e s . S h e l t e r e d from prying eyes, they spent endless nights discussing breaking news, culture and politics maybe over a pan of baked lasagna or a dish of spaghetti with clams. Under t h e U l t i m a S p i a g g i a ' s umbrellas, you could spot Furio Colombo, a journalist and writer of many books on American life, late journalist and historian Nicola Caracci- olo, a USA correspondent for La Stampa, or former anti- mafia prosecutor Piero Luigi Vigna. Along the northern part of Ultima Spiaggia, the beach dissolves into dunes, with a splendid view of the Argentario promontory. The sand glistens gold. Hollywood movie produc- er Tom Sternberg and his wife Violetta fell in love with C a p a l b i o s o o n a f t e r t h e i r first day at Ultima Spiaggia. T o d a y t h e y l i v e i n C a r i g e Alta, a hamlet of Capalbio. "It is special here, only 3 km from the Aurelia and is in the middle of the country- side," says Violetta. The view is fantastic from her home. "We had rented a house for two years while looking for something to buy, and final- l y , w e f o u n d t h e p e r f e c t nest." Violetta is from Rome. She is a child psychoanalyst. "As a girl, I always spent my vacation in Ansedonia, Porto S a n t o S t e f a n o , " s h e s a y s . " B u t w h e n o u r d a u g h t e r Alessandra turned four years old, friends suggested we m e e t a t t h e U l t i m a S p i a g g i a s o A l e s s a n d r a could play with other chil- dren on the beach. People at the Ultima Spiaggia were so n i c e a n d h e l p f u l t h a t w e decided to explore the area better. We fell in love with the beauty and peacefulness of the countryside, the farm- ing and the sea". H e r h u s b a n d T o m i s known for producing The Talented Mr. Ripley, Lost Highway, The Black Stallion, The Black Stallion Return, Under The Tuscan Sun, and m a n y o t h e r m o v i e s . " W e found our home in Carige Alta while Tom was scouting a l o c a t i o n f o r U n d e r T h e Tuscan Sun," she says. V i o l e t t a r e c o m m e n t s Capalbio to Americans. "If they like the countryside and the sea, it is a perfect place to live," she says. "Summers are culturally exciting, and fascinating people live here. Capalbio is convenient as it is close to Rome, Florence and Siena. Lastly, the food is outstanding". Also, revered journalist Andrea Purgatori, who died suddenly at 70 a few weeks ago, had a vacation home in Capalbio. He was recognized not only as the top investiga- tive journalist on the Ustica plane crash mystery but also a s a s c r e e n w r i t e r a n d T V h o s t o f t h e f i r s t r a n k . A prominent 1980 Columbia School of Journalism gradu- ate, he angered the powerful through his acute investiga- t i o n s . H i s d e a t h l e a v e s a large void in the leadership of Italian journalism. His son Edoardo, a movie actor, paid tribute to his father in an emotional letter sharing the special moments they hold closest to their hearts. He read the heartfelt letter aloud inside the Chiesa degli Artisti in Rome at the funer- al service celebrating the life o f t h e I t a l i a n T V l e g e n d . Edoardo said saying good- bye to his father had been " h e a r t - b r e a k i n g " f o r h i m and his siblings Ludovico and Victoria. "Saying good- bye is tough and tough for everyone, but we'll be strong t o g e t h e r . D a d , I w a n t t o r e m e m b e r y o u i n o u r o l d house in Capalbio at sunset, with the music of the Beatles in the background. You are fiddling around in the gar- den with half a cigar in your mouth. Your face is finally r e l a x e d . Y o u h a v e f o u n d peace of mind. I hope all our l o v e r e a c h e s y o u , h a v e a good trip. We love you". A f e w m i l e s f r o m t h e heart of the village, there is a final wonder to experience: the Tarot Garden created by French-American artist N i k i d e S a i n t P h a l l e , t h e daughter of a French banker and an American model. Her fourteen-acre sculpture park built atop Etruscan ruins is "a sort of Joyland where you could have a new kind of life that would just be free," the artist once said. The sprawl- ing garden features 22 giant sculptures based on the for- t u n e - t e l l i n g T a r o t c a r d s . Marella Caracciolo Agnelli, the wife of the president of Fiat Umberto Agnelli, made Nikki's dream come true in 1977 when she told her that her family owned the most suitable estate on top of an Etruscan ruin by the sea. The Caracciolo family sup- plied the land. Nikki worked on this project for 24 years. Finally opened to the public in 1998, it features 22 mas- sive sculptures almost 50 feet high. Based on Tarot cards, which are thought to have originated in Italy in the 1430s, they include the Empress, the High Priestess, the Magician, the Sun and the Tower. The sculptures l o o k g r o t e s q u e a n d a r e b r i g h t l y p a i n t e d , w i t h mosaics of glass, mirrors, and stones. Nikki died in S a n D i e g o , C a l i f o r n i a , i n 2002 at 71. My first day in Capalbio is gone but the place promises a mix of wild and wonderful. Valentina is right when she says this is an oasis of peace to discover slowly. It's so damn gorgeous here, simply w a t c h i n g t h e M a r e m m a longhorns herded by Tuscan cowboys. The mosaic tower at the Tarot Garden (Photo: Mikekarcher/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS PEOPLE ACTIVITIES A very noted literary critic, Alberto Asor Rosa, dubbed Capalbio "The Little Athens" for its remarkable artistic and cultural development. "Capalbio is a place of tranquillity and relaxation," Asor Rosa used to say. He knew by heart "the expanses of the forest, meadows and dunes which reach the sea" CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

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