Allegedly, Sophia Loren occasionally holidayed in Blackpool. The internationally celebrated star of It Started in Naples, El Cid and Prêt-à-Porter apparently tired of the jet set of Positano on the Neapolitan Riviera, together with the constant attention she received amid the fawning entourage she had acquired. In Blackpool she discovered a destination where she could cast off the trappings of an high profile career and, as she commented in a brief interview with the Blackpool Gazzette, "finally let my hair down." She enjoyed the ambience, the evening passegiatta, the indifference of Lancashire holidaymakers to box office royalty and the availability of quality iced creams which reminded La Loren of her youth in Pozzuoli.
She is photographed here, barefoot and carefree in a simple dress enjoying the sands of her favoured South Beach. The photograph is undated but appears to be early 1970s according to the hair length of the child in the red sweater to her far-left. Her attention is turned skyward: there is an enigmatic shadow on the sands in front of her which suggests either a mobile amusement ride for small children or perhaps an unusually large bird passing overhead. One imagines that her husband and constant companion, the film director Carlo Ponti who is absent from the scene, was most likely enjoying a nap at the venerable Imperial Hotel situated on North Promenade, a short tram ride away. Lovely.
1 comment:
This is where I spent my (family)holidays in the late seventies and early eighties. There are no good memories of the actual holidays but I have a fondness for the place even though I never got to go up Blackpool Tower or to see the ballroom which is just below and was built between 1897 and 1898.
My friend, who went recently told me, that the place was looking very sad and run down. What a shame.
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