Sofia Loren
Sofia Loren is a staple of Sorrento, especially in Marina Grande. Born on September 20, 1934, as Sofia Villani Scucolone, she grew up poor during WWII before rising to fame, and is one of the most popular movie stars from the area, sometimes even being called the Italian Marilyn Monroe. She is generally recognized as one of the most famous movie stars from Italy, and people have a lot of pride and celebrate her regularly. She began her rise by being a finalist in a beauty pageant at age 14, catching Carlo Ponti, a film producer's eye.
Her Films include Two Women, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, Scandal in Sorrento, and Houseboat. She went on to win an Academy Award, as well as two Oscar nominations and five Golden Globe Awards. Later on, she also received an Honorary Academy Award for her work.
Her 1955 film Scandal in Sorrento was filmed in Marina Grande, and to this day, posters and other mementos are easily found around the Marina. The film follows Donna Sofia and Antonio Carotenuto, played by Sofia Loren and Vittorio De Sica respectively. Antonio is a retired marshall who returns home to Sorrento, only to find Donna Sofia living in his house. She is poor, so in order for her to stay in his home, she begins to flirt with Antonio. Meanwhile, Antonio is staying with another woman in town, Donna Violante, who eventually falls in love with Antonio.
This film shows what Marina Grande was like in the 1950s, and while there are differences such as the lack of waterside restaurants and swimming areas, the Marina overall is quite similar, and many of the landmarks that are present in the Marina today are also visible in the film. For example, the fish market that is present throughout the movie is in the buildings that are still present in the Marina today, housing shops, restaurants, and apartments. Another example is the stairs that lead in and out of Marina Grande, which have barely changed since the movie was filmed. The courtyard outside the church of Sant'Anna is also visible in the movie.
Scandal in Sorrento boosted the popularity of the town and contributed to its current-day popularity. There is even a restaurant dedicated to Sofia Loren, with pictures of her all over the walls. There are various pictures of her throughout the Marina, including ones from the movie and descriptions of it, in both English and Italian. People in Sorrento are incredibly proud of Sofia Loren because they feel like she is one of them and was able to rise from nothing to being a star, and they are not afraid to show their pride for both her and their town showcased in the movie.
Come Back to Sorrento
The song Come back to Sorrento was composed by Giambattista De Curtis in 1894. There are two theories about why he wrote the song: one is that it is to Prime Minister Guiseppe Zanardelli in an attempt to get him to repair the town as it was not in good condition at the time, while the other is that it was his brother's lyrics from years earlier that he wrote music to. The song is written in Neapolitan, and over the years, the song has come to simply mean to come back to Sorrento because of its beauty.
Work Cited:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk5xIZrmbZU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJpBMZspIXw
https://www.bestofsorrento.com/2011/09/come-back-to-sorrento-torna-surriento.html
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