Italian Cinema Today

Documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi will premiere his much-anticipated latest film at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival , which runs August 27 - Sept. 6. "Sotto le nuvole" (Below the Clouds)  takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. There has not been much information revealed but so far, we know that the film will focus on themes similar to those explored by Rosi in his previous works, such as the examination of Roman culture in "Sacro GRA" (2013) and Lampedusa's refugee crisis in "Fuocoammare" (2016).  The film's synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, the remains of women, children and men — statues, buried cities. Only thin layers separate contemporary and ancient life, an...

Referred to as “Museum Edutainment,” Bardeum is a new interactive app that’s like having your own private tour guide at some of the most iconic sites in the world.  A work in progress, the app currently covers Ancient Rome. Florence and Pompeii are slated for a May release and Venice for a 2021 release. Clicking on Rome  in the app will take you to a page titled Rome Experiences . There, you’ll see sections on the Roman Forum and Roman Colosseum . Palantine Hill will be coming soon. Each section covers a variety of topics. Selecting  Roman Colosseum , you will be advanced to the story of Spartacus where you will hear a detailed account of the legendary slave-turned-gladiator who led an uprising that gave Julius Caesar a run for his money. The story takes you out of Rome to the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius in Pompeii as the Roman fleet of soldiers was stationed at the Bay of Naples. Selecting the Roman Forum will give you the tragic story of the Vestal Virgin Cornel...

On a recent trip to Torre Annunziata, we made a stop in nearby Pompeii to see the infamous ruins of one catastrophic day that took the lives of an entire village and changed the landscape forever. I had read about Pompeii, visited exhibits through the years that featured artifacts and watched travel stories. None of which prepared me for the grandiose of the area and in-tact structures of a complex city. We saw rows of shops and homes line street after street. There was beautiful pottery, mosaic tiled flooring, open spaces which once held landscaped gardens. There were large kitchen areas in the gutted homes with air ducts and stoves. I couldn't have imagined that in 79 AD, a city would have been so sophisticated. So I am looking forward to watching some films over the next few wintry months here in upstate New York and learning more about the people of Pompeii and how they lived. I find that Amazon is pretty convenient because it doesn't require a monthly subs...