Lake Como, Italy
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy and is the third largest lake in Italy.
The lake has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. Como is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe.
Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma spent part of their honeymoon at Lake Como in December 1926 and they returned again several times, staying at the Villa d'Este.
British actress Madeleine Carroll married her first husband, Captain Philip Astley, at Varenna on Lake Como in August 1931.
Hitchcock's Films
The Prude's Fall (1924)
According to biographer John Russell Taylor, director Graham Cutts had intended to film scenes at Lake Como for The Prude's Fall during the winter of 1924-25, but the weather on the lake proved unsuitable. The cast and crew then attempted to travel to St. Moritz but found the rail line blocked by an avalanche. Eventually they returned to England, "having trailed the whole cast and crew around Europe at great expense and shot not a single foot of film".[1][2]
The Pleasure Garden (1925)
Following on from location filming in Genoa and Alassio, Hitchcock rendezvoused with his fiancée Alma Reville at Lake Como. With her, she'd brought the American actresses Virginia Valli and Carmelita Geraghty, and scenes were filmed at Lake Como for the honeymoon sequence with Valli and Miles Mander.
Villa d'Este, Cernobbio
Honeymoon scenes were also filmed in the gardens of the Villa d'Este and some sources state that cast and crew stayed at the Villa during filming at Lake Como.[3][4]
Google Maps
Villa d'Este:
Nearest Locations
loading...Film Frames
Selection of film frames: Lake Como, Italy (click image to view larger version or refresh thumbnails)...
Image Gallery
Images from the Hitchcock Gallery (click to view larger versions or search for all relevant images)...
Links
Notes & References
- ↑ Hitch: The Life and Times of Alfred Hitchcock (1978) by John Russell Taylor, chapter 3
- ↑ Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, pages 66-67
- ↑ Hitch: The Life and Times of Alfred Hitchcock (1978) by John Russell Taylor, chapter 4
- ↑ Timeless Italy: Villa d'Este, Hollywood on Lake Como
