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| vintage chairs at my front door |
A large US chain
of restaurants (best not to reveal which) recently discovered Vetralla’s
Cene in Cantine festival and chose
our town to film their newest commercial.
The previous locations featured
were Rome and Amalfi … so not too bad
for our small town
outside Rome. Until now Vetralla's only claims to fame were its excellent olive oil and the fact that
since 1512 it has been
under the protection of the English crown .
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| country style seating |
After
several pre-shoot visits by the
location finder and chief of the Italian film team, the entire troupe of about 50
people arrived in Vetralla yesterday
aboard sleek rented vans with tinted windows.
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| Vicolo del Sole |
There
were executives of the advertising
company in Boston, others from the main Florida
office who checked the daily film rushes. They were flanked
by an Italian crew which included
location men, camera men, scenographers,
actresses in high, high heels (dangerous on our cobblestones) and drivers of the
huge vans that invaded the flower decked historic center.
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| meeting the US team |
Throughout
the day they shot scenes of the town’s food and lifestyle; the grill scene in Piazza Francosone, the lunch
served in the vaulted halls of the Pro loco’s cantina which included grilled chicken and hand made pasta-but not served on the same plate as they do in these chain restaurants !
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| coordinating the film shoot, |
The whole
town will be anxiously awaiting to see
the outcome of the day’s film shoot. Hopefully the cameras were able to capture the atmosphere
of the medieval streets and ancient cantinas. The local people, including some photogenic
young men, participated as extras adding authenticity to the scenes.
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| Sitting pretty in Pza. S. Egidio |
For them it was also a way
to see their town in a new light, through
foreign eyes, and to appreciate its
humble, authentic beauty.
As night
fell, the last scenes were filmed between the city hall and the Duomo with the
actresses strolling across the piazza,
enjoying gelato and sitting on the picturesque dolphin fountains.
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| the film troupe in the main piazza |
When the long day of filming was over, about 10:30 pm , a hurrah went up from the troupe and
hugs and embraces were shared with new found Vetralla friends before they
loaded up the trucks and vans for the
drive back to Roman hotels and
long flights back to the States.
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| locals served the meals and judged the best decorations |
The commercial they were shooting in Vetralla was
to show the Italian passion for food, family and celebration of life, thus
enticing customers
to eat at their 200+ Italian themed restaurants
located in 33 different US states.
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| eating in the cantina of Emergency |
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| Pro Loco's cantina |
Wouldn’t it
be nice if Vetralla’s delicious extra virgin olive oil
would, one day, be included among the genuine Italian foods served
in these restaurants?
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| display of antique copper |
I recently ate at one of these places in New Hampshire but was disappointed with their food and customer service. The place was busy around 6 p.m. as customers did "take away" and completely empty by 8 p.m.
For more on the Cene in Cantine festival, use the search bar at the top of the page.
