Genoa As a Location: Luxury by The

ROUTES & STORYTELLING GENOA AS A LOCATION: LUXURY BY THE SEASIDE FAMOUS: Film Festivals and Movie Tourism Across UNESCO Sites 18 months st st (1 May 2018 – 31 October 2019) Project: COS-TOURCCI-2017-03-03 TABLE OF CONTENTS *Note: numbers correspond to the sites that are marked in the maps below. A) MAPPING B) STORYTELLING DEVELOPMENT 1.2. Polanski’s Pirates take the harbour Locations: Galleon Neptune, Aquarium 3.4 Summer in Genoa and “the city in the shadow” Locations: Old harbour, The Bigo 5.6 Ghosts and princesses in old Genoa Locations: Via Canetto & Old town, Piazza De Ferrari 7.8.9 Grace of Monaco at Rolli Palaces Locations: Via Garibaldi, Palazzo Rosso, Palazo Reale 10. Portofino in Enchanted April and Murder Mysteries Locations: Portofino’s seaside, Brown Castle MAPPING GENERAL VIEW OF THE ROUTE: ADDITIONAL SHORT TRIP (SEE REFERENCES AT POINT 10) CORRELATION OF SITES AND FILMS/FILM EVENTS: STORYTELLING DEVELOPMENT Genoa, the main city of Liguria, is an open-air museum, that’s why most of the historical centre and its Palaces has been declared UNESCO site in 2006. This charming city, known as “La Superba” (the Proud One), boasts centuries of histories and once was an independent State from (1005 to 1797), with its own empire. Here you can find the largest medieval historical centre in Europe, an intricate maze of alleys where its multicultural soul and the contrasts of the city are most evident than anywhere else. As Charles Dickens remarked “it abounds in the strangest contrasts; things that are picturesque, ugly, mean, magnificent, delightful and offensive, break upon the view at every turn – there seems to be always something to find out”. Known as a cradle of international traders, the riches, exclusive goods and exotic materials that reached its shores in the holds of ships that came from very long voyages turned it into a flourishing city. Between XI and XVIII, Genoa was one of the independent republics of Italy and exerted an important influence on the economic, cultural and political development of the region of Liguria, of which today it is capital. Africa, Crimea, China, Corsica or Sardinia were some of the usual destinations for ships sailing from the harbour of Genoa, which remains the most important of all Italy. Glory, power and wealth were the backbone of the urban development of Genoa from the 15th centuries on. The truly drivers of this development were Genoa businessman who paid for the exploits of the European monarchies of the time during Modern ages. They finally found the Bank of Saint George, one of the firsts banks in Europe. Charles V, for instance, was one of the monarchs who most assiduously sought financial support from the Genoese families. Genoese moneylenders were delighted to help them, and eventually managed to get a privileged position in the nuts and bolts of courts that allowed them to keep with their business without worrying about being invaded. They could turn to their trades and their negotiations, the outcome of which they somehow invested in the city. The so- called Rolli palaces, Via Garibaldi and several of the city’s impressive infrastructures were built during this period, as a result of the buoyant commercial life of the city. Among other distinctions, Genoa’s rich cultural history in art, music and cuisine allowed it to become in 2004 European Capital of Culture. Thanks to its history, Genoa gathers in one place several of the most sought after elements in a cinematographic location: it has power, charisma, personality and is full of enclaves with an intrinsic attraction, whether artistic or natural. Genoa has many souls. Going from the old port up to the hills it is like visiting different cities at the same time: the Baroque city, the Medieval city, and the Modern city. The city has always attracted directors from all over the world because of its contrasts, its variety of landscape and of lights, because of the strong contrasts among old and new. A walk through Genoa is, at the same time, a walk through the scenes of international productions that have brought out the best of the city and its heritage. We will visit some of them! 1.2. Polanski’s Pirates take the harbour Locations: Galleon Neptune, Aquarium The ancient harbour is the heart of the modern city: the area is full of attractions and experience to live and it is one of the liveliest parts of the city during both days and nights. The harbour was redesigned in 1992, by architect Renzo Piano, born in Genoa, for the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by the native son Christopher Columbus. It is possible to see how the area looked when it was still working as the port of Genoa in the Dino Risi movie “Profumo di donna” (1974), that many will remember for the remake by Martin Brest (1992) with Al Pacino in in the main role (played by Vittorio Gassman in the original version). Another fascinating view on the Old Port Area “as it was” can be seen in the Italian “Stregati” (Francesco Nuti, 1986). Also, the archives of Fondazione Ansaldo preserve a short shooting of Piazza Caricamento, shot by the Lumière brothers in 1896. The shooting represents the area close to Palazzo Reale, where it still was possible to see the Ponte Reale, the bridge connecting the palaces to the sea. The visitant will not find in the harbour of Genoa a vessel like the one Columbus used when he salied to America, but a pirate ship. More precisely, in Molo Ponte Calvi there is a duplicate of a Spanish galleon, a ship that became popular for war and trade in the 16th centuries. Visitors often wonder why there is a Spanish galleon in the port of Genoa. The answer is simple and has nothing to do with history, but with cinema! The Galleon Neptune is a full-scale ship replica of a 17th centuries Spanish galleon, expressly built for the movie Pirates directed by Roman Polanski that premiered in the Festival of Cannes in 1986. The main character of Pirates captain Thomas Bartholomew Red, Captain Red, a pirate. Polanski fristly Jack Nicholson to play the role, but changed his mind because of the high fees Nicholson asked. The Galleon Neptune is a real ship that is able to cruise across the sea. It was constructed in Tunisia, in the shipyard of Port El Kantaoui in 1985. The movie was filmed in Malta in the Malta Film Water Tank in Malta Film Studios (MFS), world-renowned exterior water tanks situated along the coast, where many movies were filmed, such as Titanic or the Maltese drama Shimsar. Portici di Sotoripa is another site that gives a hint of the bustle and variety of languages, cultures and traditions that crossed every day in the old port of Genoa. There stands the oldest public arcade in Italy characterized by a succession of shops and the lively bustle of different people and cultures. From textiles to spices, from traditional fried-food shops to new exotic cuisines, everything can be found there. Walking under the arcaded portico the visitor's mind can easily fly to the times when commodities were unloaded from sailing ships coming from every part of the Mediterranean. And, perhaps, you’ll even feel closer Polanki’s Pirates characters! In the harbour of Genoa, there are two more sites that have drawn the attention of international filmmakers. One is the Aquarium, the largest in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe. In 2018, the production team of the Italian-Japanese crime film White Flowers select it as a location to shoot a story with an outstanding cast: Ivan Franek (La Grande Bellezza), Yuki Iwasaki (Tarda Estate), and Hal Yamanouchi (Wolverine – La Vendetta). White Flowers has the delicacy of the Japanese and the coraougeous spirit of the Italian. The movie follows the steps of a man that awakes in a hotel room in Rome: he has a wound on his forehead and a gun, but does not remember his identity or his pass. On the other hand, Yuki is a young illustrator who lives in Kyoto: after the death of his fiancé, an Italian guy, she lost the speech but developed extrasensory capabilities that allowed her to see the dead and communicate with them. She will depart to Italy, in search of a legendary language, if he retrovance the things lost. The Aquarium, as other Genoese sites, appears also in the Italian movie “Fortunata” (2017 - Director Sergio Castellitto, featuring Stefano Accorsi and Jasmine Trinca). The other site that has recently been used as scenenario for a series is Museo del Mare (Mu.Ma), constructed in the old docks. Mu.Ma is the biggest Italian maritime museum existing. It exhibitions propose a journey through time, from the epoch of the galleons down to the migrations. Also, in front of the Mu.Ma you can find a submarine and visit it. During the spring-summer 2019, Sky TV and Catteleya have started the shot of the TV serie PETRA, inspired by novels protagonized by detective Petra Delicado, and written by Alicia Giménez Bartlett. The main character is the famous Italian actress Paola Cortellesi. Keep your eye on its premiere! 3.4 Summer in Genoa and “the city in the shadow” Locations: Old harbour, The Bigo The Galleon Nepture, the Aquarium and the Mu.Ma indeed attract lots of people, both locals and visitors, to the Molo Distrit. But the true, traditional symbol of the Old Harbour of Genoa is the lighthouse of Genoa, the Lanterna’. Built in 1128 on the top of Capo di Faro (Lighthouse Cape), the Lanterna is more than a lighthouse.

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