Italian Archives - Wanderboomer

Romantic Movies on Location

Travelers at heart can visit any one of several romantic destinations on Valentine’s Day in the click of an eye through the magic of movies. Cuddle up with or without your sweetie and pass the popcorn and kleenex . . .

An Affair to Remember

An Affair to Remember

An ocean liner headed for New York City sets the stage for this Hollywood classic starring Deborah Kerr (Terry McKay) and Cary Grant (Nicky Ferrante), with Fate and Destiny in key supporting roles. As an added bonus, you can enjoy gorgeous views from the villa on the French Riviera where Nicky’s wise and loving grandmother resides. Most famous line: “If you can paint, I can walk!”

Casablanca

Casablanca

Former lovers meet unexpectedly in French Morocco during World War II when “of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world,” Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) has to walk into his, Rick’s (Humphrey Bogart). The drama includes flashback scenes to happier times when they fell in love in Paris, together with a rousing rendition of the national anthem of France, “La Marseillaise.”

Dr. Zhivago

Omar Sharif (Yuri) and Julie Christie (Lara) are star-crossed lovers in this film set in Russia (though filmed in Canada, Finland and Spain) during the Bolshevik Revolution. Any movie that can romanticize an Ice Palace in the Russian countryside in the middle of winter is worth a viewing.

Lady and the Tramp

In case you think that only we humans hold the monopoly on romance, our canine counterparts will convince you otherwise in this Disney classic. Has there ever been a more heartwarming animated scene than when our main characters discover love at the end of a shared strand of spaghetti at Tony’s (Italian) Restaurant?

Roman Holiday

Audrey Hepburn won an oscar for her performance as Princess Anne who rebels against her royal duties by going undercover as a commoner in Rome for a day. After a memorable chance encounter, reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) soon realizes he has the scoop of the decade – and the love of a lifetime. Location shots include the Spanish Steps, Palazza Colonna, and Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth).

Notorious

Notorious

Rio de Janeiro takes center stage in Hitchcock’s brilliant tale of espionage, romance and betrayal. Cary Grant stars as Devlin, an American agent, who enlists the aid of Alicia (Ingrid Bergman) to track the Nazi ring operating in Rio after her father is convicted of treason. Love intervenes only to be pushed aside by the dutiful Devlin who throws her into marriage with Alex (Claude Rains), leader of the local Nazis group. Will Devlin find a way to save Alicia and himself by movie’s end? You’ll just have to watch the film to find out.

Sound of Music

“The hills are alive with the sound of music” while romance blooms between Maria, a young postulant at Austria’s Nonnberg Abbey, and Baron von Trapp, a widower engaged to be married. Cupid strikes when their eyes meet as the Baron leads Maria in a dance. Be still my heart . . .

Added Bonus!

I can’t help myself. I have to include one more travel film here:

The English Patient

The English Patient

Though this World War II drama is set in Tuscany and Egypt, several scenes were shot on location in Tunisia for a more realistic portrait of 1940’s Cairo. Viewing Ralph Fiennes in his role as Count Laszlo de Almasy carrying his beloved, white shrouded Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas) across the windswept desert landscape leaves me mesmerized every time. When he recognizes that she’s wearing the thimble (You have to see the movie), her reply, “Of course, you idiot. I always wear it. I’ve always worn it. I’ve always loved you,” says it all. Sigh . . .

What about you, Wanderboomers? What travel movies would you add to my list for Valentine’s Day?

That’s mostly true, though I do have an affinity for a few languages more than others. I love the spoken and written word in English, my native language, but I’m also drawn to French, Russian and Portuguese. And how can I leave out Italian when I love Italian food and Puccini operas so much? I can’t.

For me each language is a portal to an exotic, mysterious way of life so different from my own. Over the years I’ve studied several foreign languages, but fluency in any has eluded me. There’s a well-known joke in international circles that goes like this:

“What do you call someone who can speak many languages?”
Answer: Multilingual.
“What do you call someone who can speak three languages?”
Answer: Trilingual.
“What do you call someone who can speak two languages?”
Answer: Bilingual.
“What do you call someone who can speak one language?”
Answer: American!

Yikes. I never wanted to be that person. So I’ve learned a few basic phrases for various situations I might encounter when traveling to other countries, such as meeting and greeting others, learning how to ask where the nearest bathroom is, how to order in restaurants, and what to do in case of emergencies.

Of course, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. When visiting Paris, I stood in line next to a “Tours” sign outside Notre Dame Cathedral, planning to learn from an authoritative guide to enhance the educational value of my visit. I did think it was odd when the single line started climbing up, up and away, without a tour guide in sight, until we reached the top of the cathedral where several gargoyles were poised to greet us outside. Only later did I discover that “tours” in French means “towers.” Oh.

Reflecting back on that experience, I’ve decided the time has come to brush the dust off my French language books and tackle the language one more time. The question is: can we Baby Boomers truly master a second language at our advanced age?

Let’s look at the facts:

1) We’re motivated to learn, especially if we plan to travel to a place where the language we want to acquire is spoken.

2) We have more time on our hands, especially if we’re retired. But I’m not, and have no plans to for the immediate future. So where am I going to find the time to study French? I’ve enrolled in a self-paced, on-line program.

3) We have more disposable income, at least we did until the economy took a nose-dive. But . .

4) We’re resourceful and know how to find discounts. For this time around on my language learning, I’ve decided to sign up for a course with Livemocha. Why this program as opposed to others I could have chosen? Because of a special offer I discovered on Groupon. I can take a one week free trial and then take advantage of my two-month Groupon special.

5) We’re optimists. Okay, I made that one up. But we are, aren’t we? If we weren’t, why would we travel and seek out new destinations to explore? Because we hope something marvelous lies right around the bend, just beyond the horizon, over the next hill. Heck no, we’re not over the hill. We can do this!

Tell me, Wanderboomers:

What foreign language(s) do you still want to learn?
Are there particular phrases you’ve found helpful to know in another language when you travel?
Have any of you had any language mishaps, like mine at Notre Dame?

Shot on Location: 7 Movie Destinations for Valentine’s Day

I Never Met a Foreign Language I Didn’t Like

Destination:

Categories: