“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
Umberto Eco imagined that the Abbey in Northern Italy, the destination for William of Baskerville and his novice Adso, had the appearance of the Sacra di San Michele, however, the set was actually built from scratch on three hectares of land on via Tiberina, several kilometres outside Rome. Even the imposing octagonal tower of the library was created specifically, inspired by Castel del Monte in Apulia. The mysterious atmosphere of the Abbey is largely thanks to set designer Dante Ferretti’s skill. The Abbey surroundings (seen in the distance as the two monks arrive) are those of Campo Imperatore. The interiors were shot in Germany, in Eberbach Monastery, Eltville Am Rhein, especially the scenes in the Chapter House (the starred ceiling immediately recognisable) and the dormitory.
“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
Umberto Eco imagined that the Abbey in Northern Italy, the destination for William of Baskerville and his novice Adso, had the appearance of the Sacra di San Michele, however, the set was actually built from scratch on three hectares of land on via Tiberina, several kilometres outside Rome. Even the imposing octagonal tower of the library was created specifically, inspired by Castel del Monte in Apulia. The mysterious atmosphere of the Abbey is largely thanks to set designer Dante Ferretti’s skill. The Abbey surroundings (seen in the distance as the two monks arrive) are those of Campo Imperatore. The interiors were shot in Germany, in Eberbach Monastery, Eltville Am Rhein, especially the scenes in the Chapter House (the starred ceiling immediately recognisable) and the dormitory.
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.
