Verdis Land. Ein Roadmovie durch die Emilia Romagna

Who does not know Verdi’s music? But much less is known about him as an individual. He used to hide his private life from the public. On his estate “Sant’ Agata” he lived the life of a farmer. He grew vegetables, raised horses and cattle, tilled the land, built dairies. He didn’t always treat his employees well and hat few visitors. He wanted to fully focus on farming and to keep is cosmopolitan life as a composer out of it.
In a Cadillac from 1913 the film goes on a road trip through the Emilia Romagna. It discovers the impact of the area, the food and the people on Verdi. We meet Massimo Spigaroli whose grandfather produced Verdi’s favorite bacon: The Culatelle which only became famous through the maestro. Bonini, in turn, allows us to catch a glimpse of Verdi’s culinary secrets in his delicatessen. He got them from his grandmother who once was Verdi’s cook. In Roncole where the composer was born, we discover a Verdi-shrine. He is worshipped here as a saint, although he was never really close to church. For the first time a film team is allowed to enter the Palazzo Orlandi in Bussetto where Verdi lived (unmarried) with Giuseppina Strepponi. The road movie ends in the Casa Verdi in Mailand. This old people’s home that Verdi himself called his best work. A place where Verdi’s music is indeed alive every day.