[1952 HOME MOVIE TRIP TO VENICE, ROME & PISA ITALY AND LOURDES, FRANCE]

Year Published: 1952

Description: A gifted amateur cinematographer captured this stunning post war tour of Pisa, Venice and Rome Italy and Lourdes, France in 1952. Much of Europe was in a boom phase for tourism during the post war reconstruction period. The film opens over the Netherlands’ diverse landscape; rolling hills, thick forests, ships in the harbor and snow capped mountain ranges. Much of the footage tours Italy featuring scenes of the country’s cultural fabric; narrow alleyways rimmed with old stone and plaster buildings over cobblestone streets, gondoliers pushing through Venice’s watery canals, pedestrians and pigeons littering St. Marks Square as well as vibrant flower vendors outside of Campo Verano’s Monumental Cemetery. Significant sights include Venice’s historic skyline, the Grand Canal, Pisa’s Cathedral Square, the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore , St. Mark's Basilica, Embriaco’s hydro chronometer, Trevi fountain, the Villa d’Este and Amalfi Coast. 0:00 A man smiles near the water (:10). Boats move in a harbor (:20). Windmill (:39) Rough footage passes over thick forestation (1:15) and waterfront buildings featuring traditional ornamented facades (1:36) and a ruined building perhaps a castle or fort (1:58). The countryside passes between telephone wires (2:02). Locals pose in front of snowy mountains (2:19). A man overlooks Venetian waterways from a balcony (4:45). A vaporetto drives through (4:56). The San Giorgio Maggiore Church; of the most notable features of the Venetian lagoon, was designed by Andrea Palladio in the 16th century (5:03). A gondolier (5:35) passes the San Giorgio Maggorie. St. Marks Campanile and the domes of St. Marks Basilica appear amidst Venice’s historic skyline (608). The Grand Canal (6:23) precedes an affectionate section of Italians, tourists and pigeons among kin in St. Marks Square (6:41). A man photographs a pair feeding the birds (6:45). Ground views show the St. Mark's Basilica (6:58) and birds seeding from the palms of church figures (7:17). The Pisa Baptistery (8:25). The Tower of Pisa (8:29) maintains a nearly four degree lean due to a faulty foundation. One of it’s seven bells (9:04). Cyclists or bicyclists run over cobblestone streets (9:25). Personal images feature Italian 1950’s fashion (9:47). Embriaco’s hydro chronometer stands in the Villa Borghese Gardens (10:51). Youth take a donkey ride (11:13). Shots capture the Temple of Aesculapius in the Garden of the Lake (12:09) and it’s inscription (12:26). The Trevi Fountain (13:18) precedes views down the Via Della Conciliazione (14:09). The Fountain of the Organ guards the Villa d’Este; a 16th century villa renowned for it’s elaborate gardens and intricate fountains (14:51). Panoramic shots span the grounds of St. Peters Square (15:39). Yellow, orange and white flowers blossoms cover stone tombs of the Campo Verano Monumental cemetery (17:29). The monumental cemetery; a stunning feature of mixed architecture including neoclassical, art nouveau and Italian modernism, spans 83 hectares. Mourners bring bouquets for the entrance (17:51). Flower vendors fill the exterior streets (20:12). A section features a show jumping competition including Italian servicemen. Riders spring over double oxers (20:55). The Triclinium Leoninum (22:42), the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano (23:15), Fountain of Moses (24:53) and it’s Latin inscription (24:47). Swiss Guards (26:20) and nuns pass over Vatican grounds (26:35). The Villa d’Este of Tivoli and it’s Oval Fountain (28:28), the ruins of the Basilica of Pompeii (30:11), Vesuvius (31:30) and the Amalfi coast (31:57). The final section briefly tours Lourdes, France. The mosaic of Pope Pius X hangs over the entrance to the Crypt of the Basilica (35:33).Return home on an ocean liner (38:01).

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR3Ngqz42Fw

Metadata Source:YouTube