Original subtitles

Southern Italy, the heel of the boot.

Remote, vast open spaces.

The red earth here has a magnetic pull.

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Raw, alternately charming and savage.

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Grazie.

Now, in the annals of food,

this is like a divisive dish.

Basically anything with ricci, also known as uni.

We call it sea urchin roe.

This is truly one of the greatest things on Earth.

♪

God damn.

Despite its uncanny beauty,

southern Italy's Puglia and Basilicata regions

are some of the least populated,

least visited,

least known parts of the country...

A mix of sea, hills, valleys, and rich earth.

The food here is Italian but completely its own.

A little garlic, pepperoncino, parsley.

Sea urchin, some kind of fish, Fumane.

Pasta. That's it.

Oh, incredible.

Never been to this part of Italy before.

A lot of blue here.

Light browns and ochres and white.

I don't know; you just look at this place.

It demands a big space.

As I walk around, I'm always humming

these Ennio Morricone scores:

"For a Few Dollars More," "Once Upon a Time in the West."

♪

Oh, this is so good.

Makes you want to start smoking again.

Oh, grazie.

Oh, God, that's good.

Jesus.

♪

Feudal, ungovernable, it was believed once

that civilization and Christianity

would never reach this far south

into the hill of Italy's boot.

♪

A lawless land filled with folklore

and tales of spirits and possession,

a blood soup of Christianity and Paganism.

I had an extremely handsome brother,

and I was a little... I was like an elf,

so I kind of didn't get the attention from the mother

that my brother did.

I had very big lips as a child, and she always used to say

that I should have plastic surgery.

But when you see my daughter, Sofia,

she's got my lips.

- Yeah. - But they look good on her.

Up in the mountains, you find tiny medieval-era villages

like Bernalda, seat of the paternal family roots

of this man, Francis Ford Coppola...

Welcome. Benvenuto.

Thank you.

One of the greatest filmmakers of all time.

You have deep roots here.

My grandfather always told us stories of Bernalda,

Bernalda Bella.

And oddly enough, he never had gone back

once he left as an American immigrant.

But it became mythical to me.

The story is that the family originally came from Lecce,

and someone got the sister pregnant,

and they killed her.

And then they became briganti,

so they were one step ahead of the law.

And then they settled down and became laborers

in the olive fields.

And that's really the origins of the Coppola family.

Because the south was so oppressed by the north,

it stayed the same.

They haven't had 1,000 years of cheap, "gyp the tourist."

And you come, and you can walk out in the street,

and you're in a real Italian town

where the people don't know anything about...

They'll invite you to the house for dinner here

quite innocently.

How long that will last, I don't know.

♪

What we're looking at here

is food I thought you'd get a kick out of,

lampascioni,

or what my family call...

It's the bulb of a flower, the hyacinth.

Wow.

You score it, and then you put it in a deep fryer,

and that turns it into a flower.

Beautiful.

Oh, wow.

This is incredible.

So you may have some history with this house.

I mean, it was...

Your grandfather was boning the help here?

It was...

You know... heard that story.

My grandfather was... They called him zumpa balcone.

He was girl crazy.

And he would go up on the roof

and go down to where the maid was, Palmetta,

and conduct this affair.

And so when I found this place years later,

there was, in fact, a roof leading to a housemaid's.

And I fantasize that perhaps that was where it happened.

Dove... where's... We have to have more food.

Bring the secondo.

This is a dish we called the coldane.

How do you call it?

Cotenna.

This is basically... My father said...

- Pigskin. - This is the football.

Wait a minute.

You had this at your dinner table

as, like, a young man, as a kid?

- Yeah, a little kid. - Wow.

- I hated it. - Of course.

But now I don't.

Oh, so good.

Mmm.

We're dining at Palazzo Margherita,

not the ancestral home of generations of Coppolas

but might well have been the one-time manor house

of those who lorded over them

while they worked in the fields.

During Mussolini time, every town had a podestà,

the official of the fascist party.

Right.

And this family was the podestà.

The ladies here were so, you know, snobby.

We are low-class Italians.

They were more high-class Italians.

It took years and a lot of money

converting the once-grand but decaying mansion

into a boutique hotel.

You know, when you bought this place,

is there a sense of vengeance?

I... you know, by then,

"The Godfather" had come out 40 years ago.

No, no, I mean, look. It's not about the film.

It's about... a historical correction.

There's a saying.

You know what Italian Alzheimer's is?

Do you know what it is?

You forget everything but the grudge.

This is the only internal garden in Basilicata.

I don't think any of the normal people

had ever been permitted to visit it.

Right.

So I was happy that normal people

were gonna be here.

"The Godfather" was a weird experience in my life,

because it was so much more successful

than I could have ever anticipated

so that I became well-known around the world

in ways that was almost embarrassing.

And so when I came here,

they made me an honorary citizen,

and they had the little schoolchildren out in a parade.

And if I think about it, as a new kid in a school,

my greatest fear was embarrassment.

"Oh, here's Francis. He's a new student."

"Oh, Francis is a girl's name."

I was embarrassed in front of everyone,

and I was a total outsider.

And then when I became...

On the other side of "The Godfather,"

when I became so well-known, I was also an outsider.

So I've always been an outsider.

What's in there?

- Some lamb chops and... - Oh, lamb chops, okay.

Some lamb head.

Oh, the capuzzelle is in there?

It's all there.

So you're getting a whole lamb's head?

Oh, look at this. Here we go.

Come on out. Oh, that's very good.

Is this for me?

- Give me your plate. - Oh, yeah. Mmm.

Oh, this is fantastic.

Come here, little one.

Hello, sweetie pie. Hello.

This is my friend.

No, we went out last night, and it was so great.

We went to the local circus.

The tigers and giraffe and water oxen.

Did you go to the circus?

Was it good?

Cool. What was your favorite part?

Um, when the giant fake gorilla came.

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The smell, the...

The smell of the port, some dead fish.

It's not fresh fish. It's dead fish.

I don't hate that smell either.

No, no.

Today, we fish.

For once, I'm confident of success

with Dino and Franco and their trusty wooden gozzo,

as they call these boats.

And for good luck, I have Asia Argento along,

who, in addition to directing and acting in films

for, like, the last 30 years,

has spent a hell of a lot of time doing this.

You have never done this? I've done this.

I've stood there and watched somebody else do it.

Scorpionfish. Oh, nice.

A little one.

Okay, Anthony, take over.

It's... yeah, your forearms.

It's good for the hangover. No, forearm.

It's very good for the hangover.

Oh!

Beautiful.

You're making her talk like a little hand puppet too.

Yeah, "Hey, you had too much to drink last night."

Don't.

There's no word for "hangover"?

We have to invent a word for "hangover."

It's incredibly optimistic and unusual.

I know. There's none, because it's shameful.

- Oh. - Ohhhhh!

Hey!

I want to see what's inside his guts.

Maybe a half-digested Speedo.

Ah, look at all this goodness.

You know, you're enjoying that a little too much.

Any notions I had

of spending an idyllic afternoon by the shore

are quickly dashed when I discover

it's a religious holiday,

which apparently means Italians grease up,

strap on their tiniest bathing suits,

and hit the beach en masse.

♪

Our intrepid fisher folk and some friends collaborate

with Asia and me on a picnic/barbecue/beach party.

Okay, and the two lobsters?

Ha, look at all that roe.

Look at that.

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And the sauce...

See, all those little fish paid off.

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Pop it in already. My God.

No waiting. Good, I'm in. I'm in.

They're hungry. They're starving.

Mmm, superb.

It's good.

"Joe."

The lobster looks great. Mama mia.

- This is incredible. - These are incredible.

- They're so sweet and... - Yeah.

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Oh, look at this.

♪

This is a uniquely Italian thing.

- With the Speedos. - The banana hammock.

- The what? - Banana hammock.

In America, people don't want to get a tan like this.

They don't want to reveal that much about themselves.

It takes the mystery out of...

- So they wear the... - Big boxers.

Keep them guessing until it's too late.

He say it's like an elephant trunk.

It can grow incredibly.

Oh, he's a grower, not a shower.

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The heel of Italy's boot has been referred to

as "the land of remorse,"

la terra del rimorso,

which also translates to "land of the rebitten."

Here, in this harsh landscape, lives the tarantula

and echoes of some deep, dark pre-Christian paganship,

like tarantism.

A dance, a ritual, an exorcism,

an expression of unspeakable desires.

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What is this?

Humble local wine.

It's rustica.

- Rustico. - Rustico.

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We are at the humble masseria.

Now, what is a masseria?

A masseria is a place that was the bigger house

where the family would stay

and then the farmers, the animals.

- It's a plantation. - It's a plantation.

And this would be the big house.

♪

It's like at your place in America, Hookers.

No, it's Hooters.

- Hooters. - Hooters.

Local Apulian superstition has it,

if a tarantula bit someone,

most often a woman while she worked the fields,

it could lead to some pretty direct and disturbing

demonstrations of carnality and desire,

the victim tortured by something supernatural, toxic,

for which there was only one cure.

La tarantella is a kind of music that was played

for those women who are possessed,

bit by the tarantula.

All of a sudden, a woman will be on the floor,

speaking in tongues and...

Oh, the family doesn't know what to do.

There was only one remedy:

calling the musicians in.

They will have this kind of ecstatic and orgasmic moment

where they were released

from this ultimately sexual possession.

♪

Over the generations, the Catholic Church absorbed

ancient pagan traditions like tarantism.

And the ritualistic, frenzied music and dance

associated with it

evolved into what we know today

as pizzica and tarantella.

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While elsewhere in Europe,

belief in afflictions like tarantism died off,

down here, old-school rituals are still practiced.

Victims of the tarantula's bite

experience swelling, pain, spasms,

and, when exposed to music, hysteria.

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Wow.

There's a sense of vastness that I'm not used to.

So does this remind you of your cowboy movies?

A little bit.

Yes, the lone gunman out for vengeance

would be riding in a long shot over there.

The cave city of Matera

was occupied for a span of 9,000 years,

predating the days of Christianity,

the Roman and even Greek empires.

So this was the shame of Italy, this place.

It doesn't look shameful to me.

Back in the day, right, this was where...

Where people lived in caves and they had no god.

After centuries of neglect,

Matera's cave communities became, for post-war Italy,

a symbol of national dysfunction, backwardness,

and horrifying living conditions.

I mean, this is an area that was known for briganti,

outlaws, bandits.

This is was always where, you know, the losers were sent.

Into the '50s and '60s,

this was considered an embarrassment and a shame.

People lived...

Yeah, because they had no water, yes.

Ten kids, shitting in a bucket,

up to 50% mortality rate among children.

Malaria was endemic,

with children begging in the street

for quinine to prevent it.

They were burning fire to keep the animals away

as the children were dying.

In the 1950s, the population was forcibly relocated,

leaving Matera's cave structures abandoned.

And the way they lived, you know,

they were still pagan.

And of course now it's...

Because of Mel Gibson and the Christ movies,

because it looks like Jerusalem at the time of Christ.

And it's strange that, you know,

in a place that had no god,

they shot all the Christ movies.

Jesus incorporated... Brought the money,

and all of a sudden, this became hip,

and people wanted to live in the caves

and make bed-and-breakfasts and expensive...

It's expensive to live in the caves now.

But this is the story

of every beautiful place, kind of.

It's like, "Let's move everybody out,"

and then in come the hipsters and the postcards

and the Airbnbs.

"Thank God nobody's living here."

Because people like you.

You're right. You're right.

You make it, "Oh, this looks so wonderful."

I want to go see."

And then they bring the money in, and...

Oh, my God, I am selling Airbnbs right now,

right now as we speak.

They put the cross up there.

So up there, you go to see Christ.

And take your selfie.

But it's beautiful. It's still beautiful.

No, I've never seen a place like this,

not even in Jerusalem.

Until the tourist arrives and they make it...

- Right. - Disgusting.

I mean, they make it... Different.

Yes.

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Bella. Bellissima.

Bellissima, bellissima.

Eccellente.

My grandma died when I was a kid,

and those of you who know me know

I'm always on the lookout for another one...

Somebody's, anybody's grandma to cook for me

and make me feel like everything's gonna be okay.

Buona sera.

Our friend Angelo introduces us to Nonna Maria.

What's the difference

between ricotta and cacioricotta?

Cacio is caciocavallo.

It's a bit smoky.

Oh, buonissimo.

Si, si.

She's saying she has a priest to come in every night

to have dinner with her.

I originally had in mind, oh, I don't know,

some polite dinner conversation...

Maybe changing times, history of the region.

First of all, I guess...

But Maria had other things on her mind.

So I want to know, what are the differences

in character, in the heart and character

of the Pugliese...

- And the rest of Italy? - And the rest of Italy?

She's sorry... I mean, he's sorry that...

Last night, he made...

In the end, sometimes all you can do

is get out of the way and enjoy the ride.

Scusi mi, signore.

Why... is it St. Peter or St. Paul or both?

Why are they the...

Oh, superb.

Brava, Maria.

All right.

No, no, don't, don't.

I know what you're tempted to do.

That's the good pope.

When I was a child, my mother took me...

When I was... No, he was the good one.

Which one is this?

This is not Papa Nazi.

That's a good one.

The current one? The one before?

Right? Perfect.

Right, whatever.

♪ Ave

♪ Maria

♪

♪

♪ Ave

♪ Maria

♪

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You know why the streets are empty?

Why?

Because everyone is celebrating St. Peter, yes.

- Oh, the festa. - The festa di santi.

They throw a party

and celebrate the death of two saints.

Double P, Paolo and Pietro.

♪

The festival of local patron saints Peter and Paul

is equal parts religious celebration

and a big party.

But I'm not going.

All right.

You don't want to go see the fiesta with the saints?

No.

I do not.

- I'm named after a saint. - Ah.

But I have...

Which Anthony? Which Antonio?

One who loves animals.

- No. - Cooked animals.

But with Antonio, there's Antonio who loves kids.

I like kids.

Not cooked.

So you have been reading up on St. Peter.

I've been reading up on St. Paul.

You know, two people who were brutally...

One was crucified upside down, Peter.

My guy had his head lopped off.

Oh, he was beheaded.

- He was beheaded. - For certain.

St. Paul wasn't, like, a nice guy.

No, he was terrible.

He was in charge

of persecuting heretics and Christians.

Yeah.

Anyways, he's on his way to Damascus

to torture the [...] out of some more Christians,

and he experiences a blinding light.

He goes blind.

And what does the voice say?

"I am Jesus, your lord.

"You're torturing Christians.

Like, you shall stop."

Yeah, "Get on board. Get on the Jesus train."

And then a few days later, the scales fell from his eyes.

Yes, but the scales is like prosciutto.

Like, he had prosciutto in front of his eyes,

and it fell down.

And then he was like, "Oh." He was...

- You're making me hungry. - It was a miracle.

Oh, wow.

As important

as religion, folklore, and history are to me,

you know what's more important?

Dinner,

a last grab at some local specialties.

"In the past, the town was considered a sacred site

"protected by St. Paul, who, according to local belief,

"made the land and its inhabitants immune

"to the bites of poisonous animals,

especially tarantula."

That's why. Here you go.

A few final moments of happiness

far from the madness.

But it's going good now.

I mean, look at it. It's beautiful.

The streets are incredibly clean.

I mean, I've never seen...

Like, when you walk around the streets, they shine.

There's more money. There's more tourism.

But what is this hiding?

Because for me, when I see perfect beauty,

I always wonder what's behind.

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