Italian Cinema Today

"Wine to Love" Monte Vulture is a magnificent dormant volcano, which houses two small lakes. Surrounded by towns known for their vineyards and olive groves, the rich soil of Vulture produces high-quality local products. The surrounding land is home to the highly regarded wine, Aglianico del Vulture, which was awarded the DOC quality assurance label in 1971 and the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) status in 2011. The ancient origins of Aglianico del Vulture date back to the 6 th century BC.   Among the towns that produce Aglianico del Vulture are Barile, Lagopesole, Melfi, Rapolla, Rionero in Vulture, Ripacandida and Venosa. Each town is unique for its own cuisine, customs and ornate churches and monuments. Lagopesole and Melfi are home to famous medieval castles while Venosa is home to ancient Roman baths and Jewish catacombs. Numerous films have been shot in the area, including Domenico Fortunato’s 2018 "Wine to Love" star...

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with La Moglie più bella (The Most Beautiful Wife).  Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, Sole nella pelle (Sun on the Skin) in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies with the political climate, the breathtaking seaside as well as the styles and cars of that time.  Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and succeeds in capturing the innocence and beauty of first love.   Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with Flash Gordon . She played the role of Princess Aura.  She’s appeared in two other American films, including, Oscar , which was directed by John Landis and featured Don Ameche, Chaz Palminteri, and...