TriumphAnt

Caserta PS… If you recall my photo of that gorgeous Caserta staircase that was the first image I used at the start of the last update, you may or may not be interested to know that I’m not the only one who found it a worthy addition to one’s production. And it seems I’m in some major artistic company.

Stretching the truth to an extreme of artistic licence, the producers of the movie based on the Dan Brown book, Angels and Demons, would have us believe that the staircase was the path to the front door of the Sistine Chapel.

Here is a still from a scene in that movie where the cardinals are on their way into conclave in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new Pope. (I doubt they actually walked the 177 or so kilometres between Caserta and the Vatican.) (Photo source: tokyofox.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/italy-filming-locations-angels-demons-2009/)

The same staircase and the massive foyer outside the entrance to the family chapel was used by George Lucas in Star Wars Episode II (“Attack of the Clones”) and III (“Revenge of the Sith”) to represent a part of Queen Jamilla’s palace. (Photo source: en.paperblog.com/a-trip-to-the-south-and-back-in-time-caserta-192482/)

And in a wholly appropriate employment, considering the palace served as the US Supreme Headquarters / Italy later in WWII, the WWII movie “Anzio”, starring Robert Mitchum, included a brief sequence shot on the same staircase.

Not surprisingly, several Italian directors have used the site as well.

We will shortly return you to our regularly scheduled blogging. Thank you for your patience (on both my and our recovering cat’s behalf).