The most intimate cultural essence of Naples has always been captured in a form as humble as it is brilliant, by the cinematographic works of Massimo Troisi.

Nicknamed the Pulcinella without mask, this actor has been able to comically interpret many facets of the human being, arriving to draw the profile of the so-called antihero, a personality imbued with doubts and worries, which still reflects the mood of young people; in fact, we can be sure of the immortality of his films, which made us laugh and reflect at the same time.

A great actor who lives in the places of his film works. Let’s discover together those that are the background of the film Scusate il ritardo, in English Sorry for the delay.

Scusate il ritardo

Tonino says «Vincé, io mi uccido, meglio un giorno da leone. Meglio cento giorni da pecora? Meglio un giorno da leone no?» that is «Vincè, I kill my self, better a day as a lion. Better one hundred days as a sheep? Better a lion’s day, right?» and Vincenzo answers: «Tonì, che ne saccio io da pècura o do lióne, fà 50 juórne da orsacchiotto, almeno stàje mièzo, nun faie a figura ‘e merda della pecora e nemmeno ‘o lióne che campa nu juórno» that is  «Tonì, what do I know of the sheep or the lion, make the teddy bear for 50 days, at least you stay in the middle, you don’t make the sheep look bad or the lion who lives one day»

This famous quote that Troisi addresses to the actor Lello Arena, who plays Tonino in the film, sums up a bit the attitude that the character he plays, that is Vincenzo, has towards his friend but also life in general. The dialogues between the two friends are, in fact, an important and recurring part of the film.

Vincenzo, in fact, is a 30-year-old unemployed boy, a little fearful and lazy, as clumsy as superficial in the love relationship, who finds himself both often consoling his friend Tonino who has been left by his girlfriend, and to embark on a love story with Anna, a woman who would like more security and attention on his part.

Most of the scenes in which the protagonist is called to listen to his friend Tonino, completely destroyed by this break, take place outdoors, so much that Vincenzo himself complains about this choice, since already the first time he was forced to console him under a thunderstorm.

The locations of the film

Among these settings we remember the famous stairs on which the two actors sit in the rain, which are located in the neighborhood Chiaia in Naples, or even the station Giugliano-Qualiano in which Tonino tries to commit suicide without succeeding; the stairs, home of these comedians crying of love, have also been titled Stairs Massimo Troisi after the death of the actor, through a celebration that wanted to pay tribute to him. Those who are walking in that area imagine the two actors sitting on the stairs, a picture of a dramatic and comic memory now indelible.

Despite this, the promoters of the initiative have committed a historical false, probably a mistake thought, since the real flight of stairs of the scenography is located lower, in an area less accessible to passers-by.

The Promenade of Miliscola

Returning to the love story between Vincenzo and Anna, Troisi has chosen a very suggestive scenery to crown their first kiss, namely the beach of Miliscola in Bacoli, with the mountain of Miseno in the background, in addition to the islands of Ischia and Procida; unpredictably, the actor was captured by the picture that sees the nostalgic waves of the summer sea meet with the winter breeze, a scenario whose beauty is also highlighted by the two protagonists in the film.

The Promenade of Miliscola is intertwined with that of Miseno, which also houses the Grotta della Dragonara in English Dragonara Cave, carved into a tuff wall overlooking the beach from the side facing the island of Procida.

Behind the beach, although not visible from the recordings, Lake Miseno opens, surrounded by a walk that accompanies the entire body of water; the route is not too long and allows you to access the beach directly through an exit present towards the middle of the route. There is no shortage of small naturalistic views, and in summer it is advisable to take a ride on the pedal boat or on the boat that you can rent from the Municipal Villa of Bacoli.

Probably Scusate il ritardo is a work with an autobiographical character, as it wants to reflect in part also the doubts and concerns that animate the person, and not only the character; in fact, this film is the second film signed by Troisi after Ricomincio da tre, in English I’m starting from three, so we can deduce that the author was afraid not to reconfirm again the success achieved by the previous film, but we know, fortunately, that this was not the case.