So what is this Netflix series currently filming in Ventimiglia?

It’s been two months since the first sightings took place. But it is only since last Wednesday that the teams from Antoine Rein’s Parisian company Karé Production have taken up residence in Ventimiglia. In the alleys of the old town, curious people and residents meet to follow the shots. Bales of straw, carts and false storefronts were assembled and stored, to recreate a 15th century setting, the date of the plot for this series which will also have a fantasy touch, according to local political actors.

Grace of Monaco at Hanbury

“I’ve lived here for 60 years and this is the first time I’ve seen cameras,” exclaims Vincenzo, a grandfather who has always lived in Ventimiglia. In the region, in fact, part of the film Grace de Monaco by Olivier Dahan with Nicole Kidman, released in 2014, was filmed in the gardens of the Hanbury villa, located between the French border and Ventimiglia.

“It’s a good opportunity to make our city known,” adds Nunzia, sitting on a small bench on Via Garibaldi, the main artery of the old town. “I will ask my granddaughter to install Netflix for me when the series comes out. “

Pio Marmai featured

“Mamma mia, how much is beautiful”

. At Angela’s, owner of the bakery, the visits follow one another and the comments pour in, particularly concerning the French actor Pio Marmaï. “I nicknamed him Piopio for the occasion,” says the baker, whose eyes shine between two distributions of bread and pastries.

“I prepared a snack for them, on order from production, with ‘focaccie’, ‘panini’, biscuits. Some tried my arancini (**), they loved it.” In total, 200 extras are filming in the city, not counting the technical staff.

Serial anecdotes

For the purposes of the series, which is filmed under its windows, its storefront was dismantled and the windows blocked. “I found myself in the dark for the first few days,” says Angela.

“My dog ​​remained speechless when they brought the goats,” confides a passer-by. For the purposes of the film, goats, donkeys and horses were brought into the streets of the old town. “If my husband had known, he would have lent them his sheep,” jokes the wife of a retired farmer. “Last night, there was shouting and commotion until two o’clock,” Rosa continues. “They keep company with my daughter who is due to give birth shortly and suffers from insomnia.”

The Porta Nuova, which overlooks the sea, hosts the sets of the series. .

“We received a letter on March 25 to inform us that Ventimiglia had been chosen for the size of its historic center, which is the second largest in the Liguria region,” explains Serena Calcopietro, deputy for culture of the city, to the Italian newspaper Rivieratime. And added: “It’s a real marketing lever for our city and tourism.” The production plans a budget of 20 million euros and filming in France and Spain.

“The production fell in love with Old Ventimiglia,” smiles Franca, barber and municipal councilor responsible for the historic center who showed the company around the place, before they decided to permanently install their cameras there. Asked about the fallout from the filming, the town of Ventimiglia did not respond to our requests, even if everyone now hopes for an increase in tourism, already favored by the new marina. A success experienced by other French cities, such as Dunkirk. After the filming of the eponymous film in 2017, British tourism jumped by 350% during the summer.