Italian Cinema Today

Singer/Songwriter Rosmy performs at the Giornate del Cinema Lucano in Maratea My editor at  Fra Noi Magazine recently asked me to write an article about my experience traveling through Basilicata and researching my origins there. If you've followed this blog for a while, then you know that I am always happy to offer my insight into contemporary Basilicata. New School Basilicata It has been 20 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. I was living in New York City at the time and working at ABC News as a video editor. Seeing all that heartbreaking footage of people jumping to their deaths from the Twin Towers and then walking through the eeriness of Manhattan made me realize how precious life is and how we can literally be here one moment and gone the next. That realization led me to do something I had been putting off for years — perform a genealogical search of my maternal great-grandmother’s family in Basilicata. Of all my great-grandparents who emigrated from Italy, I ...

"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...

The big news in Basilicata this week is making the New York Times list of 52 places to go in 2018 . Pictured in the article with a nice write-up is Matera. While this ancient stone city is stunning and should be on everyone’s list of places to visit, there are so many other treasures across the region of Basilicata. Also referred to by its ancient name, Lucania, the region is divided into two provinces: Potenza and Matera. While Matera gets a lot of attention for the Sassi district, the abandoned town of Craco and the beaches and Greek ruins of Metaponto, the province of Potenza has its own breathtaking spots such as the Dolomite mountains, Pollino National Park and the seaside town of Maratea, nicknamed the pearl of the Tyrrhenian. Little known, especially here in America, is a vast land of vineyards located in the province of Potenza. Many of these vineyards are located in various towns surrounding the great Monte Vulture, a dormant volcano, which houses two small lakes....