TA TALKS BACK: VOLTERRA ITALY (POSSIBLE NEW MOON MOVIE LOCATION)
TA forum member SJB123 presents TA with her Volterra experience:
by Sarah Braasch
The royal Volturi vampire coven of Volterra, Italy released a PR blitz and ad campaign directed at Summit Entertainment to promote Volterra as an upcoming New Moon movie location. New Moon will be the latest film installment of the hugely successful Twilight franchise, based on Stephenie Meyer’s series of young adult vampire novels. Volterra, Italy boasts a hilltop perch, scenic views of the Tuscan countryside, medieval ramparts, Roman ruins and Etruscan arches. But, and, most importantly, Volterra is home to the actual Piazza dei Priori, including the Palazzo dei Priori, complete with belltower, as described by Stephenie Meyer in New Moon, not to mention the alley in which a pivotal scene occurs.Volterra is unworldly gorgeous. Majestic and captivating on approach, encased in misty fog on the day of my arrival, it appeared as a citadel in the sky. The famed medieval town square, the Piazza dei Priori, did not disappoint either. Nor did the labyrinthine network of myriad dark and narrow cobblestone alleys. The entire scene bleeds gothic royalty. It truly is the perfect refuge for the ancient blue-non-blooded undead. It is difficult imagining recreating this environment elsewhere, or, the sacrilege, on a soundstage.
Volturi spokeswoman Heidi explained, “Why go anywhere else? Why recreate Volterra when you can have Volterra? When we heard that Summit was considering shooting in Rome in lieu of Volterra, we knew that we had to do something. We wanted to show them just how beautiful, cool, photogenic, and atmospheric Volterra is. There is no replacement. And, we know that the Twilight fandom will agree.”The Twilight fandom have been sticklers for accuracy and have taken the producers to task time and again for even considering deviating from Meyer’s first novel. Heidi continued, “The Twilight fan base is already well aware of Volterra, Italy. They know what the Piazza and Palazzo dei Priori look like. They know in which alley Bella saved Edward, who were then confronted by Felix and Demetri, who, by the way, are dying to be extras in the film. But, my point is, this is what the fans want, and Summit knows this.” The Twilight online universe has been flooded and glutted with images and videos of fan trips to Volterra, scouring and devouring every corner of the moody medieval town.
The Volturi noted that there were other potential incentives to choosing Volterra over Rome as a film location. Heidi explained, “Of course, we can guarantee the safety of the entire film cast and crew within the medieval ramparts of Volterra . . . Rome — not so much. In fact, Rome seems to be suffering from a particularly nasty case of newborns at the moment. We aren’t sure who’s creating them, but we’ll find out, and, when we do, our justice will be merciless and swift.”Summit Entertainment is currently in preproduction on the New Moon movie and has yet to release the final film locations. Regardless of Summit’s decision, the notoriously camera shy Volturi are surprisingly pleased with their new found fame and subsequent boost in tourism to their Tuscan haven. Heidi proclaimed, “We’re here to work with the city of Volterra and to do everything in our power to promote tourism in Volterra, Tuscany, and the entirety of Italy. We love tourists.”
To see all of the (33) images, click here
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Oh yeah…most definitely.
Wow, exactly like I imagined it! Haha go figure
Wow, Volterra is even creepier then I imagined. I really hope they include the city. Now that we’ve seen it for ourselves, it will be hard to replicate it.
They have absolutely no choice. This would be the utmost wonderful thing to happen. I want to go there myself now.
Am I the only one to find it humorous that the spokeswoman for Volturra’s name is Heidi? I think that in itself should be the determining factor.
WoW STEPHENIE did such a great job explaining this to us and I really hope they film it there ! I can’t wait for New Moon !!! And WoW it’s beautiful but can you imagine all the fans ? lol …
seconded. thats a winner if nothing else is. and that place is awesome! very vampireistic
Hmmm, the pictures are AWESOME!!!!!
The only thing that I thought was missing was a clock tower!!!! Or whatever it was in the square, where the tourists were when Edward was about to expose himself….Hmmmm, time to read the books again. Lol
LOL!!!Of course they love their tourists and Summit wanting to shoot in Rome while Volterra is a real live place right there in Italy,man you guys are cheap!I mean the movie has already done almost $300,000,000 and is still to be released in other major countries.We should protest about this because clearly they got plenty of cash to spare.
OMG this is almost EXACTLY how i imagined it!!!!! But i agree with what Allis Cullen said, there has to be a clocktower!!It’s extremely significant to the story, if they don’t have one in Volterra(whichj would be surprising) then i think that they should make one, even if i was made out of stirafoam!
Anyways AWESOME LOCATION!! lol
That is how I imagined Volterra!! Wow…
I think it’s so cool!I can’t wait !!!
Why not file in Volterra. Rome looks nothing like this. I am so tired of directors and producers choosing some where other then the real location to film a movie. I could see if the location was not real, but it is so they need to go there not Rome.
Heidi? You’re kidding me! hahaha what a coincidence! I think that Volterra would be perfect!
Wow…Can Summit get anymore Cheap?! Ahahaha.
I mean seriously, this is exactly what i’m talking about: “Producers who have everything they need (the magic literally in their hands) and not knowing what to do with it.” It’s getting ridiculous, ad if i’m not mistaken, Summit produced “When a Stranger Calls” right? Ok, this is not a cheap filming in 1-or-2-places production. This is an International-Needs-tender-love-and-care Production!!! Which requires some serious investments, *cough cough* Cash *cough cough*
Hopefully Summit will get the memo before shooting takes place because Twilight was ok, but not great. (like it should have been.) So, let’s really commit, and get this baby done right. (Please don’t disappoint again.)
-YouCan’tBeSerious…
Way awesome!! I wasn’t sure that it did exist but it does!!! I thought in the tribute to Stephenie Meyer it is incrediable!!! I do hope that they film here that would be awesome to see that part of the book on the big screen!!!
Volterra is prety much the one in my head, but try L’Aquila, in Abruzzo! Thats my hometown and there is a castle with turret and the medieval city is inside walls as it is described in the books!
Hardee har har,I mean come ON Heidi,what a coincidence!Ireally think they should film it there and add a clock tower,because I was dissapointed in Twilight.They should really do it HERE!!!!!!
hey uh allise cullen .. lol not meanin to point it out but the 2nd pic is a pic of palazo dei priori and the tall tower on the top is the clock tower so if they do it there it would be absolutely perfect… I CANNOT WAIT FOR NEW MOON AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
I’m really glad they’ll be shooting in Volterra. I’ve been there before, and it is absolutely irreplaceable. The towers, alleys, and churches are just classic. Keep up the good work, people
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whoa whoa wait! heidi is cast?! wh@?
Volterra isn’t as… dull as i imagined. I thought it would be scarier. this disappoints me. i thought it was (weirdly) close to a dock and wasn’t there a fountain in the middle of the square where the clock tower is? this is so different. i DO NOT like it. i am very disappointed.
i think they could film there. twilight, the first movie, was a BIG mistake. the book you can read a zillion times and not get bored, but the movie you cant see a zillion times. and it didn’t let enough time for you too realize how Bella and Edward were serious. it wasn’t quite right. notice how the guide lady is named Heidi, is telling you something about Demetri and Felix then suddenly goes, and they’re just DYING to be in the movie, implying they’re real…? anyone else notice this? cuz its kinda freaky. i wonder if the volturi is real. going to go look it up…bye.