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Villa d'Este, Cernobbio, Italy

Villa d'Este (© Peter Dutton)

The Villa d'Este, originally Villa del Garovo, is a Renaissance patrician residence and 25-acre estate in Cernobbio on the shores of Lake Como, northern Italy.

The Villa's grounds were used as a filming location for Alfred Hitchcock's debut feature film The Pleasure Garden in the summer of 1925.[1]

Known Trips to Villa D'Este

Hitchcock and his wife Alma returned several times to stay at the Villa whilst vacationing at Lake Como. Known dates include:

  • April 1951, during a two month long European vacation[2]
  • May or June 1964, following the completion of Marnie[3]
  • September 1966, following the completion of Torn Curtain[4]
  • August 1969, following completion of the production phase of Topaz[5]
  • September and October 1972, during the European publicity tour for Frenzy[6]

Although not confirmed by the various Hitchcock biographies, it seems likely that the Hitchcocks stayed at the Villa during their honeymoon in December 1926

Links

Notes & References

  1. Some sources also state that cast and crew stayed at the Villa during filming. However, this seems rather extravagant as Hitchcock frequently claimed he had very little money during the location filming phase of the production.
  2. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 454
  3. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 654
  4. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 676
  5. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 693
  6. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light (2003) by Patrick McGilligan, page 714