Skip to main content

A Tranquil Hideaway in Francis Ford Coppola’s Ancestral Town

Francis Ford Coppola’s resort Palazzo Margherita is located in Bernalda, the town of his family’s Italian origins. The resort's enchanting grounds boast a private cinema room, robust herb gardens, a family-style dining room run by local culinary experts and a Romanesque private swimming pool surrounded by a walled garden.

Since beginning our series “Basilicata: Land of Cinema” back in 2015, I've visited Bernalda twice and spent a weekend at Palazzo Margherita, which I found to be an extraordinary utopia of culture, food and cinema. The town itself has an atmosphere of wonderment. As you explore the narrow streets lined with well-kept homes and charming churches, you get the feeling of being transported through time. With distant views of the Ionian sea, it truly feels like an untouched corner of paradise. 

My much-anticipated stay at Palazzo Margherita was like something out of a dream. Everything is so beautiful and articulately maintained. The regional food is simple yet decadent and the staff makes you feel like family. However, my most cherished memory is having watched Francesco Rosi's 1979 "Christ Stopped at Eboli" in a lavish private screening room. Adapted from the novel by Carlo Levi, which he wrote during his exile from the Fascist controlled North, the story recounts the extreme poverty of Basilicata in the 1930s and the resilient spirit of its people. Seeing the movie at Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda was a deeply moving experience, knowing my great-grandparents left that very poverty. Experiencing how those strong-spirited people turned that poverty into the modern, intriguing region that Basilicata has become, brought the experience full circle. 

Gaetano Russo poses for me in front of Ancient Roman Ruins, 2017
Interestingly, Coppola's cousins in Basilicata are also prolific filmmakers. Gaetano and Michele Russo have been making films for years. Gaetano shares Coppola's passion for winemaking and has worked on several cinema projects promoting the wine industry of Basilicata. He's taken his cameras into the vineyards surrounding the Monte Vulture where the DOC and DOCG wine Aglianico del Vulture is produced, exploring how profoundly connected the inhabitants of the surrounding towns are to the land. 

Michele is Gaetano's younger brother and pride and joy. Michele recently made a documentary about Coppola's Italian origins in Bernalda. "The Family Whistle" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 and has been shown at film festivals throughout the world, including the Boston International Film Festival where it picked up the prize for Best Cinematography. 

Carlo Levi wrote in his novel, "Lucania seems to me more than any other, a true place, one of the most real places in the world." (La Lucania mi pare più di ogni altro, un luogo vero, uno dei luoghi più veri del mondo.)  I couldn't agree more and this authenticity is what makes Basilicata feels so warm and welcoming. 

Click here to visit Palazzo Margherita online. Click here to watch my 2018 documentary, Return to Lucania," which features Palazzo Margherita and Gaetano Russo.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Anna Foglietta: Actress and Activist with Old School Elegance

One look at actress Anna Foglietta in her any of her roles, and the Golden Age of Italian cinema comes to mind. Among Italy’s most sought-after actresses today, Foglietta brings to the table a classic eloquence of yesterday while representing Italy’s modern woman. Born in Rome in 1979, Foglietta began her career in 2005 with a role in the RAI television series La squadra . Her character Agent Anna De Luca had a two-year run on the series as she was transitioning to cinema with Paolo Virzì’s 2006 ensemble project 4-4-2- Il gioco più bello del mondo . Since then, she has become one of Italy’s most diverse actresses, transforming herself into interesting, layered characters for comedies and dramas alike. Aside from a small part in Anton Corbijn’s 2010 film The American starring George Clooney, Foglietta’s work began reaching mainstream American audiences in 2015. As Elisa in Edoardo Leo’s 2015 comedy Noi e la Giulia , Foglietta showed her funny side playing a goofball pregn

The Life and Work of Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci as Malèna Born in Umbria in 1964, Monica Bellucci is one of the most recognizable faces of international cinema. But she didn't always have her sights set on the spotlight. She went to college to study law and modeled to pay her tuition. Her success in the fashion world coupled with the offers that were pouring in to appear on the big screen eventually took over, changing her fate. Bellucci made her on-screen debut in the 1990 television movie, " Vita coi figli." Just two years later, she scored her first American role in Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula."   In addition to her native language, she speaks fluent English and French, which has made for a smooth transition from Italian to international cinema. Stateside, she has acted in blockbusters such as "The Matrix-Reloaded,"     " The Passion of the Christ" and " The Sorcerer's Apprentice." She has also appeared in several French films, a

Pasolini's Playground of Roman Ruins

Anna Magnani in a scene from "Mamma Roma" Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1962 “Mamma Roma” starring Anna Magnani , follows the title character, a Roman prostitute determined to change her life and give her son the opportunities she never had. She seizes the opportunity to leave her life on the streets behind when her pimp (Franco Citti) gets married and frees her from his possession. Mamma then goes to the small provincial town of Guidonia to fetch her son, Ettore (Ettore Garofolo), and bring him to Rome to embark on their new life together. She buys a pushcart, finds an apartment in a nice neighborhood, and uses her connections to secure him a job in a restaurant. However, Ettore gets mixed up with boys who are petty thieves and is negatively influenced by them. At the same time, Mamma Roma’s pimp resurfaces and sends her back to the streets. When Ettore learns about his mother’s prostitution, he goes astray and wholeheartedly joins in on the petty crimes of the boys. One day, while

Stefano Natale- the Charismatic Muse behind Carlo Verdone's Iconic Characters

The beauty of Italian cinema lies in the diversity of its genres and styles. Although the ’80s have received its share of criticism for its less-than-profound output, it was the decade in which contemporary maestro Carlo Verdone emerged as a creative young director and actor. The characters he brought to life during those years became permanent fixtures in Roman pop culture. Films like “Un sacco bello,” “Bianco, rosso e Verdone,” and “Borotalco” gave birth to the iconic Mimmo, Leo and Sora Lella.   Enter Stefano Natale, the real-life muse behind Leo and Mimmo. Natale was the subject of a documentary presented at the 2015 Festa del Cinema in Rome. One of four protagonists in Luca Ferrari’s “Showbiz,” he is a soft-spoken gentle giant who recalls his life with Verdone and the creation of his characters in a nostalgic, affectionate manner. “Verdone and I grew up together in the same building near Ponte Sisto,” Natale recalls. “Our grandmothers were cousins, and for 30 years we saw each o

Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni.. What cinema dreams are made of

The Toronto International Film Festival is wrapping up its retrospective of the cinematic collaboration of husband and wife team, Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni. Over the last few days, the couple have participated in discussions, Q & A sessions and have introduced several of their films. Today, I attended a screening of "La voce della luna" (The voice of the moon). It was  Federico Fellini's last film and is a wonderful tribute to the director's signature poetic madness. The film gave Benigni the opportunity to team up with fellow beloved comic, Paolo Villaggio, and the two created a truly unforgettable adventure. Today's screening began with an introduction by Benigni. The moments leading up to his introduction were noticeably serious and somewhat tense. Benigni's publicist and TIFF security staunchly guarded his privacy. There was no interaction and no photos were allowed. Guided by his entourage, he walked quickly from the Green Room to th