“Having reached the end of my poor sinner's life, my hair now white, I prepare to leave on this parchment my testimony as to the wondrous and terrible events that I witnessed in my youth, towards the end of the year of our Lord 1327. May God grant me the wisdom and grace to be the faithful chronicler of the happenings that took place in a remote abbey in the dark north of Italy. An abbey whose name it seems, even now, pious and prudent to omit”.
Adso of Melk
The Name of the Rose, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s memorable film based on Umberto Eco’s novel, sees Franciscan friar William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) arriving at an abbey in northern Italy accompanied by his young novice Adso (Christian Slater) to carry out a delicate diplomatic mission in late 1327. The place of peace soon turns out to be the scene of mysterious murders that the two will investigate.
The abbey, which Umberto Eco had envisaged as similar to the Sacra di San Michele in Piedmont, was built a handful of kilometres from Rome, on three hectares of land in the Pian dell'Olmo quarry, via Tiberina, including the imposing octagonal tower of the library, inspired by Castel del Monte in Puglia. The dark atmosphere that reigns around the monastery is, instead, largely due to the work of set designer Dante Ferretti.
The abbey’s surroundings (seen in the distance as the two protagonists arrive at their destination) are those of Campo Imperatore in Abruzzo, although filming never took place there: instead, the production used photos of the territory of Barisciano and the Campo Imperatore plateau editing them into the sequence where the friars on mules are heading to the monastery. This snowy, evocative setting also features the tower of Rocca Calascio in the distance.
The interior scenes were filmed in Germany, at Eberbach Monastery in Eltville Am Rhein: the dormitory and the recognisable Chapter Hall with its star-shaped vaults.
“Having reached the end of my poor sinner's life, my hair now white, I prepare to leave on this parchment my testimony as to the wondrous and terrible events that I witnessed in my youth, towards the end of the year of our Lord 1327. May God grant me the wisdom and grace to be the faithful chronicler of the happenings that took place in a remote abbey in the dark north of Italy. An abbey whose name it seems, even now, pious and prudent to omit”.
Adso of Melk
The Name of the Rose, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s memorable film based on Umberto Eco’s novel, sees Franciscan friar William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) arriving at an abbey in northern Italy accompanied by his young novice Adso (Christian Slater) to carry out a delicate diplomatic mission in late 1327. The place of peace soon turns out to be the scene of mysterious murders that the two will investigate.
The abbey, which Umberto Eco had envisaged as similar to the Sacra di San Michele in Piedmont, was built a handful of kilometres from Rome, on three hectares of land in the Pian dell'Olmo quarry, via Tiberina, including the imposing octagonal tower of the library, inspired by Castel del Monte in Puglia. The dark atmosphere that reigns around the monastery is, instead, largely due to the work of set designer Dante Ferretti.
The abbey’s surroundings (seen in the distance as the two protagonists arrive at their destination) are those of Campo Imperatore in Abruzzo, although filming never took place there: instead, the production used photos of the territory of Barisciano and the Campo Imperatore plateau editing them into the sequence where the friars on mules are heading to the monastery. This snowy, evocative setting also features the tower of Rocca Calascio in the distance.
The interior scenes were filmed in Germany, at Eberbach Monastery in Eltville Am Rhein: the dormitory and the recognisable Chapter Hall with its star-shaped vaults.
Cristaldi Film, Rai, Neue Constantin Film, ZDF, Les Films Ariane, France 3 Cinéma
In late 1327, the young novice, Adso, and his teacher, the Franciscan monk William of Baskerville, travel to an Abbey in Northern Italy on a delicate diplomatic mission. This place of peace will soon become the theatre for mysterious murders that the pair will endeavour to solve.
