Francis Ford Coppola On Bernalda
samedi 13 août 2011 
As I am sure you know by now, Sofia Coppola is preparing to marry Thomas Mars two weeks from today in her family's ancestral Italian home town, Bernalda. The father of the bride, Francis Ford Coppola, spoke to Repubblica TV about his passion for the region. Below is the original article as published by repubblica.it in Italian and my attempt to translate it into English. Please watch the interview with Coppola to learn more about Bernalda, the Italian city in which Sofia will become Madame Mars on August 27...
Francis Ford Coppola, il papà della sposa
By Anna Puricella
C'è gran fermento in Basilicata, a Bernalda, un paesino di 12mila abitanti, scelto da Sofia Coppola per le sue nozze. Il 27 agosto sposerà il cantante dei Phoenix Thomas Mars, padre delle sue due bambine Romy e Cosima. I due hanno scelto il paese da dove agli inizi del '900 partì il bisnonno Agostino Coppola, alla ricerca del sogno americano.
A Bernalda papà Francis Ford ha acquistato palazzo Margherita, su corso Umberto, per farne un albergo di lusso. La regista si sposerà nei giardini della dimora, dove ha girato alcune scene del suo ultimo film, Somewhere, Leone d'oro a Venezia. Pare che quel giorno un parente proietterà scene dei film di Francis Ford e Sofia sulle facciate di una decina di edifici di Bernalda.
Ed è stato proprio il papà della sposa a raccontare il suo legame con la Basilicata in un video di qualche anno fa in cui narra la storia dei Coppola lucani, e dei divi di Hollywood che tornano per festeggiare uno dei matrimoni dell'anno.
Francis Ford Coppola, father of the bride
There is great excitement in the Basilicata region, in Bernalda, a town of 12,000 inhabitants, chosen by Sofia Coppola for her wedding. On August 27, she will marry the singer Thomas Mars of Phoenix, the father of her two children Romy and Cosima. The two have chosen the country from which Sofia's great grandfather left in the 1900s, Agostino Coppola, seeking the American dream.
In Bernalda, her father Francis Ford has bought the Palazzo Margherita, Corso Umberto, to develop it as a luxury resort. The director will be married in the gardens of the residence, where she shot a few scenes for her latest film, Somewhere, which was awarded the Golden Lion in 2010 at the Venice Film Festival. It seems that on this day a relative will screen scenes from the films of Francis Ford and Sofia on the facades of a dozen buildings of Bernalda.
And the father of the bride discusses his connection with the Basilicata region in a video a few years ago which tells the story of Basilicata, Coppola, and Hollywood stars who come back to celebrate their marriage this year.
Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola, and Bernalda photographs and text courtesy of bari.repubblica.it
Sofia Coppola in Bernalda, Family, Francis Ford Coppola, Italy, Thomas Mars, Translation, Wedding
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