Italian Cinema Road Trip Chronicles Independent Theaters in New Book

Nicola Curtoni and Emilia Desantis embarked on a 50-day road trip across Italy from September 15 to October 31, 2018, visiting 48 independent cinemas in 38 cities across 17 regions. They interviewed over 80 exhibitors, covering 5,400 km at a total cost of €1,600, mostly funded by private donors and exhibitors. The journey resulted in the book "Alla ricerca della sala" (In Search of the Theater), inspired by the French "Tour des Cinémas" concept. Curtoni, who previously worked at a single-screen cinema in Brittany, France, and ran the blog "uncinemafrancese.com" about French cinema, returned to Italy in July 2017. He met Desantis via Skype, and they decided to replicate the French model to explore small, non-chain theaters. Notable venues visited include Rome's Il cinema dei piccoli and Cinema Troisi, and Naples' Cinema Hart. The authors found that most theaters reported stable or growing audiences, countering national trends, and were modernized with the latest technology. The book aims to share their inspirations, ideas, and encounters, echoing the words of Agnès Salson and Mikael Arnal, authors of "Tour des Cinémas."