REEL TO REAL:

FILMS TO VILLAS

ITALY

Devious Tom Ripley trades his identity for that of playboy Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley. The Balconi apartment is located in a stately palazzo on Piazza Mattei - exactly where Dickie Greenleaf lived in luxury. In the Fellini classic, La Dolce Vita, Anita Ekburg cooled off in the Trevi Fountain. If you don't see all of Rome on your first visit, ensure your return by tossing in a coin.

Cold salads on the patio and long siestas in the afternoon strike a bold contrast with the hard work of restoring a rundown villa in the film, Under the Tuscan Sun, based on Frances Mayes' memoir of the same name. At , you can enjoy the same ambience without any of the backbreaking restoration work. Overlooking the shores of Lake Trasimeno, the villa has been exquisitely restored to combine traditional rustic style with gracious elegance.

In Enchanted April, four women rent a villa on the Italian Riviera to try to come to grips with their lives and relationships. This gorgeous film offers romance and spectacular scenery. Villa Marina, a luxury villa in Portofino, offers a comparable setting with stunning views and complete privacy. It's an ideal place to ponder whatever is on your mind.

The women in A Room with a View find themselves in Florence, in rooms without views, until some gentlemen remedy the situation. They should have stayed at our elegant Vespucci Apartment, with a wonderful view overlooking the Arno!

There's no place on earth quite like Sicily, which explains why so many memorable films are set there. Mighty Aphrodite and Cinema Paradiso were filmed there, and Il Postino (The Postman) is set on the nearby Aeolian Islands. Explore the wonders of this unique locale from Vistamare, an authentic Sicilian noble estate, or Villa Felice, a five-star property in a community of exclusive villas on the sea.

SPAIN

L'Auberge Espanole (The Spanish Apartment) is the story of an economics student who moves into an apartment full of international students. One of the filming locations is Antoni Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece, Sagrada Familia.

Casa Quixote, located in a classic old building in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter, is within a short distance of this important landmark and popular tourist attraction. Belle Époque won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1994. It is the story of a Spanish soldier who deserts the army and is welcomed at a country farm, where he befriends the farmer and falls in love with all four of his beautiful daughters, one of whom is played by Penélope Cruz.

At , set in the hills of the Costa del Sol, you can experience that same welcoming atmosphere and will fall in love with the magnificent views of the sea, Gibraltar, and North Africa.

FRANCE

Amélie Poulain searches for the meaning of life while interacting with customers at the Paris café where she works. Some of the scenes in Amélie were shot in Montmartre, the same neighborhood where the Junot Apartment is located. The café where Amélie worked, Les 2 Moulins, can be found at the beginning of Rue Lepic, and the produce store Collignon is at 56 Rue Trois Frères.

Manon des Sources (Manon of the Springs) is the story of a beautiful shepardess living in the idyllic countryside of Provence. Villa Près du Lac, just outside of St-Remy-de-Provence, has views of the very mountains where Manon might have lived.

Recipe for Poetic Spaghetti In Il Postino (The Postman), the exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda finds refuge on an Aeolian island off Sicily. There he meets a romantic young postman who conquers the heart of his beloved with the help of Neruda's advice and poetry. -1 lb spaghetti -6 artichokes "dressed like warriors, in pomegranate bronze" -6 large tomatoes "visceral red" -2 cloves garlic "precious ivory" -3 T. extra virgin olive oil -a few basil leaves -salt and pepper Clean the artichokes by removing the hard outer leaves and the "beard" inside. Slice them very finely and cook them in the olive oil until they are very soft. Peel the tomatoes and dice them. Add them to the artichokes and crush them with the tines of a fork on the bottom of the pan. Mix, add the basil and the garlic (whole, to be removed before serving), season with salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes. Drain the spaghetti, mix in the sauce and serve hot. Recipe courtesy of Marina Malvezzi at www.mangiarebene.com Monica Contrisciano, our web designer and marketing coordinator, in Tuscany enjoying a delicious Italian meal.