A shot of "Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini"
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Based on an autobiographical novel by Italian author Giorgio Bassani, the film follows the saga of the wealthy Jewish Finzi-Contini family who have kept themselves isolated in the idyllic sanctuary of their fabulous estate in Ferrara while Mussolini dutifully organizes the deportation of Italian Jews in compliance with the wishes of ally Adolph Hitler. The film centers on the relationship between Micol and Giorgio and the young man's unreturned feelings for the girl. The rejection causes Giorgio great suffering, but Michol falls in love with someone else. Meanwhile external events encroach upon the Finzi-Continis until they, too, are in peril.
Ferrara: In Emilia Romagna, Ferrara was characterized during the 70's by its share of student unrest, being not far from Bologna, the "red" city par excellence, the red flag being the standard of the communist party. Ferrara today is a pleasant little provincial town whose Renaissance urban design is nearly perfectly intact, from its network of streets to its lovely red brick houses, the splendid palazzi (including the 16th century 'Palazzo dei Diamanti') and large, empty piazzas. The aire of melancholy which permeates both Giorgio Bassani's book and De Sica's film is still palpable in Ferrara. It is the atmosphere emanated by the true protagonist of the film, the Finzi-Contini garden itself, which still stands today and is in the private hands of the author.
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Ferrara, Piazza del Municipio
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