Federico Fellini is one of the worlds most respected film directors. He was born at 9.30 pm on the 20th of January 1920 in an apartment at viale Dardanalli 10 in the coastal town of Rimini on the Adriatic coast of north-east Italy. His father was from Rimini, his mother Roman.
Here is Rimini at the time; it was mainly rural with a flat, sweeping coastline - it was very unlike the Rimini that exists today - a coastal resort still, but maybe a calmer and less exclusive kind.
A trip to Rome at the age of 10 to visit a sick uncle was to influence his life forever, he was later to say that from this time on, he decided he would go to live in Rome. Nevertheless, memories of Rimini were to greatly influence scenes used in his films in later life. Rimini itself was bombed very badly during the war and when Fellini was to return many years later after living in Rome he said he hardly recognised the bustling glitzty resort that had been built on the ruins of the old town.
It was then that he felt a stranger in Rimini and that Rome had now become his home.
Our spell on the Via Veneto has introduced us to Fellini as he directs La Dolce Vita, but many other great films had come before. There are many superb resources and complete lists and details of all Fellini films in other places, but for now we can look at a little more of Fellini's history and a few films of interest.
Last updated 9th of February 1999
