The Most Famous Beans of Italian Cinema
Ah, the ‘stone of beans!’ Now, before your minds descend into the bowels of a third-rate cooking show, let’s take a leap back into the world of Italian cinema, where beans are not just some undercooked side dish—oh no! They’re a revered icon of nostalgia, a little nutty just like your Uncle Giuseppe after one too many espressos!
Picture this: the majestic Campo Imperatore, shadowed by the Gran Sasso, where Bud Spencer and Terence Hill—two titans of the “Spaghetti Western” genre—crafted cinematic masterpieces in the early 70s. Yes, folks, these legendary beans were not thrown just to flavor your spaghetti; they were thrown ‘round in epic brawls, punctuated by hearty laughs and the odd flying fist both on-screen and off!
A Pilgrimage Worth Making
Today, the “stone of beans” has become the Rosetta Stone for cinephiles and food lovers alike, leading your average film buff on secular pilgrimages through the meandering paths of Abruzzo’s splendid landscapes. If you’re looking for a boring Netflix binge, I advise you to reconsider! Instead, you can snag the new Repubblica Guide, “Abruzzo and Cinema: Stories, Places, Stars,” which is the cinematic equivalent of a double espresso—rich, engaging, and a tad jittery!
Cinematic Landscape: From Parks to Pastas
This guide isn’t just a ‘tourist brochure’—oh no, it’s like a golden ticket into the heart of Italian cinema, exploring spectacular backdrops from Rocca Calascio to the National Parks. It’s a culinary adventure too, I mean, why just watch a film when you can also munch on local delicacies while you do?
You think it’s only Hollywood that gets the glam? Think again! Sean Connery graced the region as William of Baskerville in “The Name of the Rose.” Michelle Pfeiffer swooped in for “Ladyhawke,” while the most intriguing cameo? Leonardo DiCaprio in a telecommunications commercial! I mean, come on Leo, film a blockbuster, not a hot hotline advert!
Food, Fame, and Films
As if all that weren’t enough star power for Abruzzo, even Richard Gere got his moment as King David in these glorious settings. And George Clooney mingled among mountains for “The American.” Talk about a Hollywood buffet, where the main course is raw talent garnished with the breathtaking landscape!
A Taste of Local Delicacies
Let’s not forget the gastronomic treasure trove that shines through the pages of the guide. Forget about your overpriced quinoa salads! Dive into delicacies such as the sweet, nutty Caciofiore Aquilano or the subtly sophisticated pecorino cheeses that are literally ‘to die for.’ And those lentils from Santo Stefano di Sessanio? They have more character than most leading actors I’ve come across!
Remember the Mucciante restaurant? Originally built as a set for “Autostop Rosso Sangue,” it now serves up a taste of local culture and cuisine. If you ever wished to dig into classic Italian fare whilst soaking in the cinematic atmosphere, consider it done. You won’t be ordering a “cinema” popcorn here; it’ll be artisanal italiano!
Let’s Talk Potatoes and Literacy!
Moving on from the arenas of film and forks, we stumble into the Marsica area, home to large potatoes and even larger stories. From the Peligna Valley’s famed Red Garlic of Sulmona to the Gialletto Campogiovese bean—it’s a gastronomical expedition that keeps on giving! Oh, and don’t forget to pick up a copy of Donatella Di Pietrantonio’s latest winner, all while debating if the film adaptations ever live up to the charm of these books!
A Blessing in the Hands of Art
Director Giuseppe Cerasa opened the guide with a note on Sean Connery’s impact on the cinematic landscape of Abruzzo, and he couldn’t be more right! He truly represents the magical marriage of cinema and scenery, creating memories and moments that transcend time. Honestly, folks, if you find a more romantic backdrop for your next arthouse film than Rocca Calascio, call me—we might just need to have a chat!
A Bright Future for Cinema in Abruzzo
Finally, let’s give a round of applause to Marcus Marsilio—the Abruzzo Film Commission is lighting the way for a new era in regional filmmaking! With creativity bubbling over in local hotspots, this beautiful part of Italy is establishing itself as a hot filming locale. And to think, all this because a couple of guys started throwing beans in the middle of a spaghetti shootout!
So, there you have it! Grab your copy of the guide, book a flight, and embark on your Abruzzese cinematic journey. With a backdrop so breathtaking and food so glorious, it’s the perfect recipe for a blockbuster adventure. But let’s just hope my friend’s cooking hasn’t made it into any of these films, eh?
The most famous beans of Italian cinema they were taken with the backdrop of Campo Imperatore, in the shadow of the Gran Sasso. Bud Spencer and Terence Hill were in fact the protagonists of the “Trinità” films in the early seventies, giving unforgettable pages to the great tradition of the Italian western, better known as the “Spaghetti western”, which in Abruzzo, and more precisely in the Canyon of Scoppaturo, has experienced some of its brightest moments.
The “stone of beans” is today a destination for secular pilgrimages for lovers of films from that era, but it is just one of dozens of destinations that tell stories related to great cinema throughout the region. And it is precisely to this heritage of characters and places that the new Repubblica Guide “Abruzzo and Cinema: stories, places, stars” is dedicated. The Guide, created in collaboration with the Abruzzo region and with the Abruzzo Film Commissionavailable on newsstands (12.00 euros plus the price of the newspaper) and online at repubblicabookshop.it from October 29th.
The volume crosses the region in footsteps of the cinematographic productions that over the decades have benefited from the splendid scenery and villages that it offers, from the enchantment of Rocca Calascio to the nature of the National Parks, from the history contained in the historic centers of the cities to the locations overlooking the Adriatic, up to archaeological areas such as of Alba Fucens, where it was filmed in 1985 Yado with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Only one of the Hollywood stars to have acted against the backdrop of the highest peaks of the Apennines; if Sean Connery played William of Baskerville in the film The name of the rose of 1986, Michelle Pfeiffer was the protagonist of Ladyhawkewhile Leonardo DiCaprio filmed an advert for a telephone company in Campo Imperatore. Again, again in the mid-eighties, Richard Gere was King David, always in the shadow of the Gran Sasso. More recently, George Clooney between Castel Del Monte and Pacentro for The Americanuntil the filming of “Enzo Ferrari: The Man and The Machine”.
In the Guide, there are many voices of the protagonists of the world of entertainmentwho talk about their experiences as actors, directors, screenwriters and voice actors. Starting from Riccardo Milani, director of the blockbuster film “A world apart”, the film is set in the nature of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. There is no shortage of interviews with the film’s protagonists, Virginia Raffaele and Antonio Albanese. In some scenes of the film, Albanese himself is struggling with a soup Orapiwild spinach typical of the area. And certainly in the mountains of the Province of L’Aquila there is no shortage of typical land and food. Like Solina Wheat, a variety of soft wheat whose ability to resist prohibitive climates allows it to be cultivated even above 1400 metres. The Solina d’Abruzzo Producers Consortium brings together the agricultural companies that have decided to rediscover these treasures of ancient memory. Returning to Campo Imperatore, in the shadow of the Gran Sasso, legumes such as the lentil from Santo Stefano di Sessanio, unmistakable cheeses such as the pecorino Canestrato from Castel del Monte, and what is considered an ancestor of the pecorino itself: the Caciofiore Aquilano, take shape. And then the saffron and Navelli almonds.
Tasty the story of Mucciante restaurant: a place where today you can discover typical cheeses and cured meats and enjoy a barbecue with the inevitable kebabs, whose structure was created on the occasion of the film “Autostop Rosso Sangue”. A road movie shot in 1977 in Abruzzo, but set in California. The current Ristoro was originally the reconstruction of a “Way Station Café” service station. After filming was completed, she was sold to a local breeder, starting a new life.
We can thus move towards Marsica and the Fucino plain to discover inimitable potatoes and carrots, or head towards the Peligna Valley to buy the Red Garlic of Sulmona. In the Campo di Giove mountain area, the Gialletto Campogiovese bean was rediscovered, which together with Fagiolone – another local specialty – and Ottofile corn is the basis of the agricultural activity of the Tavola Rotonda cooperative.
From the mountains, towards the hills, you cross the Vestine lands to reach the rows of vines and olive trees that precede the blue of the Adriatic Sea. You come across waterways such as the Tavo, an area in which the typical Tondino bean is grown, in the area delimited by the municipalities of Cappelle sul Tavo, Collecorvino, Farindola, Loreto Aprutino, Moscufo, Pianella and Penne. And the writer lives right in Penne Donatella Di PietrantonioStrega Prize 2024 with “The fragile age”. The film by Giuseppe Bonito was based on the novel “L’Arminuta” in 2021, for which Di Pietrantonio won the 2022 David di Donatello for best screenplay, together with screenwriter Monica Zapelli. The interview with the writer precedes the one with Rocco Papaleo, Franco Nero, Linen Pillow, Vittorio Storaro, John Turturro , Leo Gullotta, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Silvio Orlando, Giorgio Pasotti, Liliana Cavani, Cinzia Leone.
The itineraries among the cinema locations, with all the beauty and all the good things they have to offer, come to life with curiosities, corners of the territory linked to the films, and other typical delicacies between the provinces of Pescara, Chieti and Teramo, with shots of ventricina from Vasto and flat white onion from Fara Filuorum Petri, sweet pepper from Altino and “Sise delle nuns” from Guardiagrele, often encountering the writings of Gabriele d’Annunzio, originally from Pescara and a great lover of the typical products of his land. The success of one of the most representative desserts of the region, the parrozzo. In 1920, in fact, the pastry chef Luigi D’Amico was inspired by the rustic bread of Abruzzo, an intense yellow loaf, prepared with corn flour, also called “pane rozzo”, to create a dessert which he sent as a gift to d’Amico. Annunzio a few years later, with a message: “Illustrious Maestro, this Parrozzo – the Pan Rozzo d’Abruzzo – is offered to you by me with a small name linked to your and my youth. I wanted to combine these two offers – the memory and the dessert – because I know the value of certain memories for your soul.” The poet’s approval came with the statement that it was “sweeter than anything sweet.” To immerse yourself in this wealth of flavors and possibilities, in Guidance there are 315 recommended restaurants, 121 homes to extend your stay and 147 places of taste where you can find local productions to take home. Nutrita is also the section dedicated to festivals, reviews and events related to cinema throughout the region.
“Seeing Sean Connery on the cover of this Guide dedicated to Abruzzo and cinema makes us understand how places that are in themselves beautiful like Rocca Calascio can be transformed into perfect sets to freeze the past, to create atmospheres that perhaps in no other location could be reproduced with such effectiveness”, he writes in his introduction Giuseppe Cerasadirector of the Repubblica Guides: “The name of the rose was an absolute success. But just that movie? Absolutely not. Try to browse and read this Guide, try scrolling through the names in the summary.
“Cinema in Abruzzo is a sector which is experiencing a new and promising season also thanks to the establishment of the Abruzzo Film Commission Foundation”, he states Marcus Marsiliopresident of the Abruzzo Region: “Our region, with its breathtaking landscapes, cultural richness and historical heritage, is establishing itself as an excellent film set, capable of attracting national and international productions. The Abruzzo Film Commission Foundation represents the result of a commitment shared by institutions and operators in the sector to network and make our territory increasingly attractive for audiovisual productions”. The Guide will soon also be in bookstores and online on Amazon and Ibs.
