''Souvenirs d'Italie'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: ''It Happened in Rome'') is a 1957 Italian film. It stars actor

Gabriele Ferzetti Gabriele Ferzetti (born Pasquale Ferzetti; 17 March 1925 – 2 December 2015) was an Italian actor with more than 160 credits across film, television, and stage. His career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s. Ferzetti's first leading rol ...

Plot

Riviera Ligure di Levante. Margaret is an English girl who travels aboard a white MG. After a mishap with some cyclists, she meets Hilde and Josette, a German and a French girl, who are hitchhiking. The three girls continue their journey together; but having run out of petrol, they push the car into the sea by mistake. They are then transported by the carabinieri in a jeep to Portofino. After an understandable moment of discouragement, Margaret is convinced by the English consul of

Portofino Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th centur ...

to continue the journey with her new companions. When they arrive in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, where a count offers them hospitality in his palace, the girls misunderstand the situation and believe they have ended up in an expensive hotel. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, they quickly say goodbye to continue their journey, heading to

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. During a visit to an artistic site in Bologna (the guide is played by a young

Dario Fo Dario Luigi Angelo Fo (; 24 March 1926 – 13 October 2016) was an Italian playwright, actor, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, political campaigner for the Italian left wing and the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. ...

) Margaret meets Professor Parenti, whom she met in England, where he had been transferred as a prisoner of war: a feeling of friendship was born between the two, which the girl has not forgotten. In

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Josette meets Sergio, an enterprising and boastful young man, who abandons his mature lover to get together with her. But before leaving his ex, he had robbed her, so the lady's complaint reaches him in Pisa, ruining his romantic plans. In the meantime, Hilde "clashes" and then falls in love with the Roman Gino. As for Josette, she meets a young lawyer. In the Italian edition, Margaret, on the other hand, has suffered a big disappointment: her love was not reciprocated; so she decides to return to England and, just before boarding the plane, she meets a young fellow countryman she had not seen for a long time, foreshadowing a new love story. In the English version, ''It Happened in Rome'', in a scene not included in the Italian version and not dubbed, the Italian love of the English Margaret, the mature professor of History of Art, played by Massimo Girotti finds her on the return plane. Hilde and Josette also say goodbye to their boyfriends, promising however to return as soon as possible.

Movie locations

At the beginning of the film we see various areas of

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

Diano Marina Diano Marina (, or simply ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region of Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about northeast of Imperia. Geography The municipality of Diano Marina contains the ' ...

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; , ; ; ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located west of Genoa, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, w ...

and

Finale Ligure Finale Ligure (, locally ; ) is a ''comune'' on the Gulf of Genoa, in the province of Savona, in Liguria, Italy. It is considered part of the Italian Riviera. Part of its historical center ("Finalborgo") is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("Th ...

. We see many glimpses and landscapes of the Alto Garda Trentino. The action then moves to other areas of Italy, Venice, Bologna, Florence,

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Soundtrack

Music by Lelio Luttazzi. The film features the 1955 song of the same name, composed by the aforementioned Luttazzi (music), Giulio Scarnicci and Renzo Tarabusi, originally - but not in this film - performed by Jula de Palma and reinterpreted abroad by various other singers, including Perry Como.

Criticism

:''«A lively little comedy...»'' **Paolo Mereghetti, Film Dictionary, ed. 1994.

Cast

Isabelle Corey Isabelle Corey (29 May 1939 – 6 February 2011) was a French actress and model. Corey started modeling in Paris in her teens for magazines such as ''Jardin des Modes'', ''Elle'' and ''Madame Figaro''. She was discovered in the Latin Quarter, w ...

: Josette * June Laverick: Margaret *

Ingeborg Schöner Ingeborg Schöner (born 2 July 1935) is a German film and television actress. Selected filmography * '' The Silent Angel'' (1954) * '' The Dark Star'' (1955) * '' The Captain and His Hero'' (1955) * '' The First Day of Spring'' (1956) * '' Kin ...

: Hilde *

: Lawyer Alberto Cortini *

Massimo Girotti Massimo Girotti (18 May 1918 – 5 January 2003) was an Italian film actor whose career spanned seven decades. Biography Born in Mogliano, in the province of Macerata, Girotti developed his athletic physique by swimming and playing polo. While ...

: Ugo Parenti *

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, comedian, voice dubber, director, singer, composer and screenwriter. Sordi is considered one of the most important actors in the history of Italian cinema and one of the b ...

: Sergio Battistini *

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, four of the fil ...

: the Count *

: Carlino *

Antonio Cifariello Antonio Cifariello (19 May 1930 – 12 December 1968) was an Italian actor. Life and career Born in Naples, son of the sculptor Filippo Cifariello, Antonio started his career in 1950 as the main actor, credited as Fabio Montale, in ''La s ...

: Gino *

Isabel Jeans Isabel Jeans (16 September 1891 – 4 September 1985) was an English stage and film actress known for her roles in several Alfred Hitchcock films and her portrayal of Aunt Alicia in the 1958 musical film '' Gigi''. Early life and career Bo ...

: Cynthia *

Mario Carotenuto Mario Carotenuto (30 June 1916 – 14 April 1995) was an Italian actor of film and theatre. Biography Carotenuto is the son of Nello Carotenuto, a silent film actor, and younger brother of the actor Memmo Carotenuto. After the 1943 Armistic ...

Francesco Mulè Francesco Mulè (3 December 1926 – 4 November 1984), was an Italian actor, voice actor and television and radio personality. He appeared in 74 films between 1953 and 1979. Born in Rome, son of composer Giuseppe Mulè, he studied at the Silvi ...

: Lawyer Andrea Mazzoni

References

External links

* 1957 films Italian romantic comedy films 1950s Italian-language films Films directed by Antonio Pietrangeli 1950s Italian films 1957 romantic comedy films Italian-language romantic comedy films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub