On the trail of Marco Bellocchio's cinema in Emilia

The itinerary begins in the province of Piacenza, on the border with Liguria and Piemonte, in the Val Trebbia, described by Hemingway as ‘the most beautiful valley in the world’. This rugged and authentic valley has become the poetic and symbolic heart of Marco Bellocchio's cinema.

It was here that the director shot some of his most intense works, including the famous I pugni in tasca (1965), a film that marked a break with the Catholic and bourgeois provinces of the time, anticipating the social tensions of ‘68, and Sorelle mai (2010), a film composed of six segments shot in Bobbio between 1999 and 2008 as part of the "Fare Cinema" course.

It is just outside Bobbio, in S. Salvatore, the point on the road where the young protagonist of I pugni in tasca carries out his matricidal project, already foretold to his brother: ‘At the Barberino bend I'll take all three of them down the slope’.

What to do

• A compulsory stop in Brugnello, one of the most charming small villages in the valley. Perched on a rocky spur, it has retained the medieval style of its origins, enriched however by the works of local artists who have given it, thanks to the loving care and floral decorations of the inhabitants, the appearance of a real fairytale village.
• Marsaglia, a holiday resort in the municipality of Corte Brugnatella, located on the right bank of the river Trebbia, is an excellent starting point for hikes, mountain bike tours and canoe descents.

Curiosities
The meanders of the Trebbia river in this stretch up to the point of its confluence with the Aveto torrent follow an undulating and sinuous course that from above looks just like the enormous trunk of an elephant, or rather Hannibal's elephant, called Surus.

Bobbio is the nerve centre of Marco Bellocchio's cinema: not only a place of origin, but also a recurring and powerful presence in his works, almost as if it were a character in its own right. This Emilian village, chosen by the director for its visual and symbolic power, is a privileged backdrop for many of his films.

Film sets

• The entrance to Bobbio from the Ponte Gobbo, symbol of the town, appears every time Bellocchio shoots there.
• The territory of Bobbio and the river Trebbia are dominant in Vacanze in Val Trebbia (1980), a film starring the director himself together with his wife Gisella Burinato and son Piergiorgio Bellocchio in which family conflicts and the complicated relationship with roots and the past are staged.
• The Cathedral bell tower is the protagonist of an intense scene in I pugni in tasca. Sandro observes the square from above, listens to words whispered by the people (‘he is the Sandro of the Villa, everyone there is sick’) accompanied by a Leopardi quote: ‘What a green age I would be damned to consume in this wild village’.
• Opposite the Church of S. Colombano, in Sorelle mai, Elena and her family watch Verdi's opera Il Trovatore.
• The cemetery, just outside the village along the SS 45, is another symbolic place present in both I pugni in tasca and Sorelle mai, a theatre of family tensions and dramatic developments. It is here on the Day of the Dead that Sandro goes with his family and plans to get rid of his relatives.

What to visit

• the Abbey of St. Columbanus, one of Europe's main medieval monastic centres, founded in 614 by St. Columbanus and whose tomb it contains, which houses the Basilica, the Abbey Museum, the Mazzolini Collection Museum, the internal cloister and corridor, and the City Museum located in the former refectory.
• the Cathedral of Romanesque foundation dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and the Cathedral Museum (open at weekends). 
• the Malaspina dal Verme Castle dating back to the 14th century and from whose perspective recent studies show the background painted in Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

Events
Every summer between July and August, the village becomes a venue for screenings and a meeting place for the protagonists of great cinema on the occasion of the Bobbio Film Festival, desired and conceived by Bellocchio himself.

Curiosities
The Gobbo Bridge, with its irregular profile made up of eleven unequal arches, is shrouded in an aura of mystery. According to legend, it was built in a single night by the Devil, who accepted the challenge issued by Saint Columbanus in exchange for the soul of the first living being to cross it. But the Saint cunningly let a small dog pass through first, thus mocking the evil one.

To be enjoyed
Bobbio, apart from the traditional dishes of Piacenza's cuisine, is famous for its food and wine: maccheroni alla bobbiese, handmade with a sock needle according to tradition; snails cooked alla bobbiese; brachettone, a pork sausage typical of the area; almond cake, which boasts medieval origins; and croccante, a crunchy bread... All products recognised as De.Co.

For the night, we recommend staying in Bobbio or near Piacenza to be ready to continue the itinerary the following day.

After the intimate atmospheres of Bobbio, the journey continues to the refined city of Piacenza, chosen by Bellocchio for some of his film shoots. Piacenza offers a cosy historic centre that is easy to explore on foot, where art, architecture and cultural education coexist.

A must-see is the Municipal Theatre, set and co-producer of the film ...addio del passato...(2002) - whose title refers to the third act of La Traviata. A splendid example of late 18th-century architecture, it can be visited by groups with prior booking.
Piacenza is well worth a visit, so once you get there, don't miss the chance to discover it. 

Along the very central Via Cavour, you arrive at the city gate towards Milan where the imposing monument to the Pontiere d'Italia, dating back to 1928, welcomes those crossing the river Po coming from Lombardy: this square is the chosen meeting place of Sandro, the protagonist of I pugni in tasca, with his brother when he goes to the city amidst his torments and anxieties.

Visiting tips

• admire the city from above, exploring the frescoed domes of Guercino in the Cathedral and Pordenone in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna. 
• discover the treasures housed in the Civic Museums of Palazzo Farnese, including Botticelli's Tondo and Piacenza's Etruscan Liver. 
• visit the Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art, guardian of Klimt's Portrait of a Lady, and the Alberoni Gallery which houses Antonello da Messina's Ecce Homo.
• explore one of the many exhibitions in XNL Piacenza, a former building that housed the offices of the national electricity company Enel, now converted into a cultural venue dedicated to the different languages of contemporary art.

Curiosities
The passion for cinema in Piacenza is renewed every year at XNL thanks to the highly specialised course in film direction ‘Fare Cinema’, an incubator for new directors, whose works are presented as national premieres at the Bobbio Film Festival.

To taste
All Piacenza cuisine is a triumph of flavours and you will be spoilt for choice, but it will certainly leave one with the best memories to enjoy a plate of tortelli con la coda, created to celebrate Petrarch's visit to the Anguissola family, washed down with a glass of Malvasia or Ortrugo, among the many DOC Colli Piacentini. 

The itinerary in the lands of Emilia concludes in the small town of Roccabianca in the heart of the Bassa Parmense.
It is from here that, according to true events that shocked international public opinion in 1858, at the beginning of the film Rapito (2023), little Edgardo Mortara, a Jewish child, is taken away from his family of origin to be raised as a Catholic under the custody of Pope Pius IX.

To do

• Visit Roccabianca Castle, built between 1450 and 1465 by Pier Maria Rossi in honour of his beloved Bianca Pellegrini, after whom it was named.
• The Church of Saints Bartholomew and Michael, dating back to the 16th century.
• Participate in a guided tasting of the King of cured meats, Culatello, produced exclusively in this area, at a local producer.
• Attend seasonal events - If you are here in November, you can participate in the ‘November Porc’, the famous food and wine event dedicated to pork products.

To taste
Finish off your day by stopping at a local osteria to savour typical local dishes, including the renowned Culatello di Zibello DOP.

Curiosity
The director took the main porticoed square, Piazza Minozzi, back to the mid-19th century, reconstructing the Mortara family home there.