12/2/01
Oops!! I in my haste to get the Notice out LAST NIGHT about "Andrea Bocelli: 
Tuscan Skies" I inadvertantly combined it with "Visions of Italy: Southern 
Style", which is being broadcast TODAY in the Southern California Area, at 
3PM.

PLEASE check your Local Listings, for not only Time , but DATE. Perhaps those 
of you who notice, might advise us as to when it is being broadcast in your 
Area. 

[I will be sending a seperate notice re "Brians Song" airing TONITE at 7PM 
PST]

"VISIONS OF ITALY: SOUTHERN STYLE
brings PBS viewers stunning high definition aerial footage of popular destinations 
in southern Italy including the Almalfi Coast, Naples, Vesuvius, the ruins of 
Pompeii, Rome Spanish Steps and Colosseum, along with beautiful sights that 
don't make most itineraries. Even if you've been to Italy, you've never seen it like 
this! 

This program is a follow up to WLIW'S "VISIONS OF ITALY: NORTHERN 
STYLE" from 1998.

Shot in high-definition video from a helicopter-mounted camera, VISIONS OF 
ITALY: Southern Style takes viewers on a seamless sojourn following along the 
rugged western coastline to the toe of the "boot" at Reggio di Calabria, and 
then inland over the countryside to Rome. This one-hour program features 
stunning aerial footage, an informative and poetic narrative celebrating 
southern Italy's considerable charms and a soundtrack that underscores the 
emotional connections America's Italians have for their motherland. Images of 
Italy no tourist's camera could capture are set to Neapolitan classics, 
choral selections, Italian folk songs, and the works of Italian composers 
such as Rossini, Puccini, and Vivaldi, with Italian-American performers 
including Connie Francis and Michael Amante. 

There has never been a show like this because it is nearly impossible to find 
a helicopter company in Italy willing to go through the difficulty of 
acquiring the specific permits needed to shoot over Rome! Precision planning 
on the ground with compasses determined the best time of day to avoid shadows 
on the major sites from the many buildings in this densely packed city. And 
the results are definitely worth it. Even if you have been to southern Italy, 
you have never seen it like this. 

A majority of Italian-Americans can trace their roots to southern Italy, and 
for many this program will be a first look at the small villages of Il 
Mezzogiorno ­ "the midday" - (Puglia, Abruzzi, Basilicata, Campania, 
Calabria) their ancestors left generations ago, in many ways unchanged by 
time. Our helicopter flies over the most popular destinations in southern 
Italy - the romance of the Amalfi Coast (and the hairpin turns of the Amalfi 
Drive!); the bustling international seaport of Naples and the jewels among 
its islands, Ischia and Capri; the majesty of Vesuvius; the ruins of Pompei; 
Rome's Scalinata di Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and Colosseum­ but 
"VISIONS OF ITALY: SOUTHERN STYLE's" flight also reveals extraordinary 
sights that don't make most itineraries. 

"VISIONS OF ITALY: SOUTHERN STYLE" also takes viewers over the 
charming cliffsides of Sorrento and the picturesque fishing ports of Positano, San 
Marco, Nicotera, Diamante and other stops along the "Calabrian Riviera;" up 
the "Valley of the Dragon" to towering Ravello; past the pristine Greek 
temples at Paestum; into the heart of the action at the bustling seaport of 
Salerno and swordfishing crews at Bagnara Calabra; over the crossroads of 
Cosenza; around the palace and formal gardens of old Caserta, the abbey at 
MonteCassino, the Pope's summer residence at Lake CastelGondolfo, the 
breathtaking fountains at Tivoli Gardens (Villa D'Este) and, with a bird's 
eye view, the striking juxtaposition of ancient and modern Rome. We see the 
most well known sites of these cities - but from an unprecedented 
perspective. 

VISIONS OF ITALY: Sicily is in production for 2002.