Will Indiana Jones like u pani câ meusa? Hollywood makes a stop in Sicily
The second greatest movie hero of all time (according to the American Film Institute) has landed in Sicily to bring to life the fifth installment of the famous series chronicling his exploits, Indiana Jones.
Among the blessings that places can receive is surely being consecrated by the dream industry, forever imprinted in the collective imagination, turning ancient hamlets into cult monuments for generations of fans. This is the story Harrison Ford is writing these days, 40 years after the first film, busy filming from Syracuse to Cefalù.
From Syracuse to Cefalù, the locations chosen for the set
Filming began in early October in Syracuse, between the Maniace Castle on the island of Ortigia (an important fortress built by the Swabian dynasty in the 13th century) and the Neapolis archaeological park area , among the richest in archaeological finds in the entire Mediterranean. Hollywood light will also illuminate the special geometries inside the Cordari Cave, the perfect setting for the action film.
It seems that at the same time, and photographic documents testify to this, part of the huge production (50 trucks, 25 vans, 120 cars and vans) was simultaneously busy in the north of the Island concealing the signs of time and transporting those places in the 1960s, the period in which the archaeological adventurer acts. The images come from Cefalù, where Lilie’s restaurant has been transformed into the Clemente Caffè bar and an advertisement of the time painted on the wall.
Bar Clemente Caffè on the set of Indiana Jones – Photo by Marco Coco
The recent removal of scaffolding at the Temple of Segesta in thearchaeological area of the municipality of Calatafimi Segesta may be an indication that filming is moving to Mount Barbaro, land where the Doric temple of the ancient Elymian city stands. A city that, from documents, appears to have been inhabited as early as the 9th century B.C. and on which several peoples of navigators, children of the Mediterranean, landed.
Harrison Ford and co. are also expected in Marsala, where thanks to special effects a vintage yacht is expected to sink in the Stagnone Lagoon. Territory characterized by shallow waters at a higher temperature due to lagoon morphology. The area is exploited by humans for salt harvesting, in one of the occasions when anthropocentric intervention contributes to making a place even more beautiful. The salt pans are very impressive at any time of day, but sunset creates enchanting plays of light and reflections.
And again the cameras will move to the timeless suggestions evoked by the Tonnara del Secco of San Vito Lo Capo. “Del Secco” because it abuts a shallow sea area, it came into operation in 1412 thanks to an amendment by Ferdinand of Bourbon authorizing tuna fishing. Already a backdrop for the famous Rai script Il Commissario Montalbano and the miniseries Cephalonia.
Not only Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas has also arrived.
Alongside Indiana Jones, co-starring is Phoebe Waller-Bridge, a British actress who played the irreverent television series Fleabag. Over the past weekend, another big hunk of movie history arrived on the island, a skilled masked swordsman. Antonio Banderas focuses the showbiz spotlight on Sicily. The actor, who owns six restaurants in Spain, chose the cuisine of brothers Enzo and Nicola Bandi of Osteria il Moro in Trapani for Saturday’s dinner. The restaurant in the heart of the city offers typical flavors with a gourmet twist. Banderas posed at the end of dinner for a photo with the two owners in a jovial embrace that blends tradition, passion, and cinema.
Charles Marchisio