Movie Tourism to Salina

A research states that 36% of the travellers have chosen a destination based on a setting seen in a movie, i.e Movie Tourism. Did you ever planned your holiday this way? 

‘Il Postino’

In Italy, one of the most travel-inspiring movies is certainly the award winning ‘Il Postino’ (1994), directed by Michael Radford and Massimo Troisi. The movie retraces the footsteps of the exile of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda on a island in the south of Italy. A must see movie, in my opinion.

Scene from ‘Il Postino”. The main character, the postman, is talking to Chilean poet Pablo Neruda – photo from rottentomatoes.com

My husband and I went for our honeymoon to the setting of this very movie, Salina. Technically in our case one could not talk of movie-tourism as we watched the movie after our holiday. We realised that Salina had been the set of ‘Il Postino’ on the island itself thanks to several ‘movie souvenirs’ strategically scattered around.

Bicycle of the main character of movie ‘Il Postino’ casted in a concrete wall on Salina – photo by Derrick de Ruiter.

Nevertheless, the movie definitely brought us back to our holiday mood. And it almost felt like finally having the least amateurish version possible of a honeymoon home video.

Imagine our disappointment when a friend who went on holiday on the island of Procida off the coast of Naples claimed that the movie, ‘Il Postino’, was shot there. Turned out we were both right. Movies are rarely shot consistently in one place.

No doubt though about the opening image of the movie. That brings you straight to the magic harbour of Pollara.

This tiny harbour is enriched by fisherman's mini houses whose entrances slide down to the sea for letting the boats in and out the water - photo by Giulia Lattanzio.
Harbour of Pollara

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