SAN GIMIGNANO … for real and on film !

Recently I watched the delightful film “Tea with Mussolini” for the third time. This is a 1999 semi-autobiographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli. It tells the story of a young Italian boy who is fostered by a circle of English and American women before and during World War II.

As any of you who follow my blog knows, I am a lover of Italy and especially of Florence where most of this film takes place. However, the walled city of San Gimignano with it’s amazing array of towers is a close second, so you can imagine how thrilled I was

when I saw that a good part of the movie was filmed there. I actually put the tape on “Pause” when they got to the plaza pictured here. Just looking at it transported me back to that magical day in 2008 when my son and I spent a day there.

I remember it so clearly. Mark and I had separated and I thought I’d lost track of him until I realized he was still inside this lovely church. He stayed there for a long time and was almost in a daze when he finally came out … saying he could hardly get his fill of the frescoes and the history portrayed there. I think this picture says it all…

                                           
“Tea with Mussolini” could hardly fail with a cast including Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith and Cher … but the story is compelling on it’s own. Treat yourself to a viewing if you haven’t already had the pleasure … it’s a gem of a movie.