We examined the history of Bernalda, Italy, now let's look at modern day life in the small town where Sofia Coppola and Thomas Mars will wed tomorrow. Bernalda was home to Francis Ford Coppola's grandfather, Agostino Coppola, described by local historian, Angelo Tataranno, as a "man who at the beginning of the twentieth
century, exactly in 1904, would not resign himself to what seemed like an inevitable fate for many Southern [Italians]." During Agostino's lifetime, the population of Bernalda was devoted to cultivation of the surrounding lands. Despite a mediocre production compared to the high number of inhabitants (around 3,200 at the time), they produced cotton, wool, cereals, and other goods that they sold to Taranto traders. Sheep rearing proliferated and some areas like the Gaudello or Basento rivers were profitable for hunting and fishing. The performance of sheep rearing allowed for rapid development of the Metapontino area that captured the attention of the rich and powerful families of the rural Basilicata bourgeoisie, who upon arriving in this land thought of settling definitively, enlarging their proprieties and undertaking the first reclaimed land works. This was a slow but prolific intervention of territorial requalification, reviving the lushness for which the Metapontino area has always been noted.
The flag of Bernalda, designed by Massimo Ghirardi, symbolizes the fertility and the strength of the region. The three gold stars on the flag represent the title of "city," an honor bestowed on the town of Bernalda in 1735 by King Carlo III di Borbone of Due Sicilie who was impressed by the hospitality of its citizens when he visited en route to his coronation. Also seen on the flag is the white ox carrying three gold spikes in his mouth. The spike is considered the symbol of the economic richness that derives from the fertility of the territory but it was also the sign of Magna Greek which was stamped on their coins.
Tataranno continues, "That Agostino Coppola is a beautiful story. Once [he] arrived in America, as if to mark
the road that Francis Ford would take, he was among the first to experience the sound insulation in the cinema. He was a teacher. Just as were his two sons, both musicians, Carmine, Francis Ford's father played for the orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini, and Antony, who composed the soundtrack of The Godfather, Part III." Agostino Coppola may have left behind the beauty of Bernalda to seek his fortune in the United States, but his grandson, Francis Ford, has reversed his grandfather's footsteps and returned to Italy, becoming a recognized presence in Bernalda.
The economy in Bernalda today is based on agriculture and archeological and bathing tourism that involves the prevalent Metaponto hamlet, with its archeological museum, Greek ruins, lots of bathing establishments, and camping grounds. 
Adding to this is Coppola's restoration of the Palazzo Margherita which will open as a five star resort and restaurant following the wedding, as well as the purchase of another building in town for development by his cousin, Donato. Tataranno comments on this shift: "What we see here in front of us — the 'kiosk' of the municipal gardens where Francis Ford eats breakfast every morning — for years has been the symbol of power. And I believe it is not just an accident that it got into the hands of Francis Coppola and Donato. Because the former is the heir to one of the many citizens of Bernalda who created the first great migration of the twentieth century and the other is the son of one of the communist workers in the fifties, impoverished landowners who rebelled against the plain of Metaponto... I believe that today these two buildings symbolize the social emancipation of their ancestors."
Grazie to Francesca Berti for the background information on Bernalda that she provided for this article.
Sofia Coppola, Thomas Mars, Bernalda, Italy photographs © 2011 Splash and courtesy of dailymail.co.uk, urbanitaly.it, blogs.babble.com, popsugar.com, trialx.com, lapsushumanus.blogspot.com, en.db-city.com, hoteltorrefiore.com, and wikipedia.com. All Rights Reserved.
samedi 27 août 2011 
