The village of the Peppone films
On the banks of the Po, in the flat land of the Bassa Reggiana, Brescello is a small village that became famous all over the world thanks to cinema. It was here that, from 1952, the films based on the stories of Giovannino Guareschi were shot, telling of the endless, comic and affectionate rivalry between the parish priest Don Camillo, played by the French actor Fernandel, and the communist mayor Peppone, played by Gino Cervi, in a small village of the Po valley in the years after the Second World War, when Italy was divided between Catholics and communists. Guareschi's village was imaginary, but the director Julien Duvivier chose Brescello as the set, and the inhabitants took part as extras.
Today, walking through Brescello, you find the places of the films: the main square, with the church of Santa Maria Nascente and the town hall facing each other, and in the square the bronze statues of Don Camillo and Peppone, which seem to greet each other. Inside the church is the Crucifix that "spoke" to Don Camillo in the films, still venerated. The Museo Peppone e Don Camillo, in a former Benedictine convent, preserves objects, photos, costumes and props of the films, including Peppone's tank. Nearby, the Museo Brescello e Guareschi is dedicated to the territory and to the writer. Along the Po, there are walks along the embankments, and the Bassa is famous for its cured meats, its gnocco fritto and its Lambrusco.
Tip: watch at least one of the films before you go; the riverside restaurants serve dishes of fish from the Po.
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