Dream and reality
Landscapes, mysterious places and old stories inspire everyday several film-makers. In more cases, this happens also in Sicily where lots of movies have been filmed by different authors. You could deepen Sicily exploring a few stories. Certainly, the way to know a movie is to watch it, but you could live again many emotions or impressions visiting the movie’s locations. Here in Sicily, the origin of the drama has a long past. It begins with the Greek theatre. Today, a few ancient dramas or tragedies are still being produced in the Greek theatre in Siracusa. But now, back to our topic, follow us in some magical places to know the cinema in Sicily.
‘Cinema Paradiso’
Very important filmmakers created some of the cinema masterpieces here in Sicily. This is the case of ‘Cinema Paradiso’ (‘Nuovo Cinema Paradiso’ 1988) or ‘Baaria'(2009) by Giuseppe Tornatore. Several scenes of these movies catch some particular streets and palaces of Bagheria. This big city is also nominated ‘the city of villas’. Especially a baroque richness decorates inside and outside the buildings. In this case, Villa Palagonia represents an important architecture. It is open every day from 9:00 to 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm with a ticket of 6,00 euros. But, the best way to visit Bagheria is enjoying the sea. In general, this coast side near Palermo has beautiful bays and beaches, so you could stop in this zone and stay in our beach villas in Sicily.
‘The Leopard’
Seeing some fascinating locations you can realize that the fiction is also the reality and viceversa. In this sense, we cannot forget ‘The Leopard’ (‘Il Gattopardo’ 1973) by Luchino Visconti with film-stars Alain Delon and C. Cardinale. Probably, one of the most important Italian movies. It is filmed inside the incredible Gangi Valguarnera Palace in Palermo. Visiting this elegant palace could be an excuse to explore the ancient centre of the city. If you want to explore this part of Palermo, you can stay in one of our historical apartments in Sicily. The Rococò Gangi Valguanera Palace became known for ‘the mirrors gallery’ where the protagonists danced together. The palace is open every day, but the visit is accessible with reservation. Consult on web the Palermo Tourism to get all the information.
Open-air Cinema
On the Aeolian Islands background, the movies ‘The adventure’ (‘L’avventura’ 1960) by Michelangelo Antonioni and ‘The postman’ (‘Il postino’ 1994) by Massimo Troisi express the identity of Sicily and Sicilian people in a single way. Today, Sicily represents a special place for the cinema all over again. In the contemporary film production, new movies are projected in more than one festival during the summer and in the first part of autumn. For example, the Sicilian cinema sceneries play a rule in the Efebo d’oro, a beautiful cinematographic festival in Palermo. Last but not least, the Taormina Film Festival represents an incredible appointment inside the beautiful ancient theatre.
This article was written by Giulia Sofi
Today, she creates editorial content for cultural magazine and exhibition project.
Her articles have been published in some art magazine like CityRivista and Insideart.