Las Vegas Weekly

August 20, 2009 · 2:01 PM

Twilight vampires, Sir Anthony Hopkins collide on my Italian vacation

By Robin Leach

Robin Leach under the Tuscan sun.

Photo: TVT

It’s good to be home, and it’s great to be back in Las Vegas! As glorious and wonderful as Europe is, truth be told, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side (even if we have so little of it here in the desert). Don’t get me wrong: Eighteen extraordinary days in the Italian countryside without the sound of ca-ching slot machines and bright lights around the clock are a refreshing, relaxing, recharging and perfect experience.

Thanks to all the guest columnists who filled in on Vegas DeLuxe while I was away. I clicked on every morning to read their ramblings. Also thanks to Vegas DeLuxe Editor Don Chareunsy, who kept our daily coverage of the Strip happenings all in order so we didn’t miss a beat!

I’ve been escaping the summer desert months of Las Vegas with my family to the calmer, cooler climes of Italy since moving here nearly a decade ago, and even with those 25 hours of travel time one way, you still can’t shake Vegas from your soul!

When I landed, the European papers were screaming about the world’s first Twitter wedding between British TV show anchor Suzi Perry and Dutch actor Bastien Boosten in Vegas. An Elvis impersonator conducted their 30-minute ceremony here, and the couple tweeted every part of it, including the photos to 18,000 followers and whoever else was interested. Suzy chose Vegas for the marriage instead of Europe, saying it would take all the stress out of a traditional wedding, and she left it to Elvis, who sang “Cant Help Falling in Love” as she walked down the aisle with her father!

A little more than two hours north of Rome was my rented villa not far from where the book Under the Tuscan Sun was written by Frances Mayes and filmed in 2003 with Diane Lane. If you’ve never read the book, please add it to your must-read list, and you’ll understand why I return year after year.

On arrival, a welcome surprise awaited from the family of Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo. Since 1993, his passion has been for wine under the Il Borro label. I’d met the heir to the family fortune at a Sterling Club event here two years ago, and my friends at Southern Wine & Spirits, Larry Ruvo and Mike Severino, let him know I was in the neighborhood -- and before you knew it, there was a case of his finest red, white and sparkling wines. Perfecto!

Two days after settling in to outdoor at-home dining after picking fresh vegetables from the garden and stocking up on every variety of the province’s cheeses, we discovered the Tuscan Sun Festival was about to start in nearby Cortona. None other than actor, artist and composer Sir Anthony Hopkins was starring in the opening and closing night ceremonies. He and I had chatted at last year’s CineVegas about our Welsh heritages when he was honored with a tribute award at the Palms. I thought since both of us were far away from our normal world of Hollywood and Las Vegas, I should see if he loved Tuscany as much as I.

Our local Realtor who also doubled as the box office manager at the 16th century non-air-conditioned hilltop Teatro di Cortona rustled up tickets. Sir Anthony had a Palazzo Casali art gallery showing of his Masques works imagined from his dreams on display for the eight days of the festival. He took part in a Q&A session -- fortunately in Italian and English -- for the packed (and sweltering) audience about his passion of being able to combine art with acting and now his new love of composing music. This night, he and the audience got to listen to one of his newest works performed by the local orchestra.

Sir Anthony, the conductor and the instrumentalists received wild applause, and on our way out our paths crossed. Sir Anthony told me it had been a thrilling night for him -- but instantly he said he so fondly remembered his Las Vegas visits and asked me to pass along regards to CineVegas founders Robin and Danny Greenspun and Siegfried & Roy’s manager Bernie Yuman. What a small world!

Later in the first week while exploring another hilltop town, Montepulciano, I was intrigued to see a photo of Jack Nicholson in one restaurant -- and immediately decided it would be a good lunch spot. When the owner wrote up our orders, much of which he decided for us, he told us that he’d often been selected as an extra for American movies filmed in the area. But with wonderful relish, he let us in on some secrets of the new Twilight sequel The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which he said filmed in the town and in his restaurant where the cast and crew dined regularly a few weeks earlier.

If you eventually see the flick out in November and then go to Montepulciano to throw coins in the octagonal fountain, don’t be disappointed to learn that it was created solely for the film, with actress Kristen Stewart, who portrays Bella Swan, wading through it. The crowds cheered when her now-rumored boyfriend Robert Pattinson, who plays heartthrob vampire Edward Cullen, stripped off his shirt to go bare chested on a run through the streets with Kristen. The action sequence was filmed as part of a battle to save him from the evil Volturi vampires.

Our restaurant host told us that fans from all over Italy flocked to the ancient town in an attempt to join the extras casting and get up close with the Twilight stars. Pastas were the dish of choice for the stars nightly, and Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen) used a day off set to take some of the stars with her to nearby Siena for a tour. “Nobody wanted to leave us when the filming ended,” said our new restaurateur friend. “There was talk of them all doing a nude scene in the fountain, but it didn’t happen for the cameras, although there was talk that they had that fun one night! That’s amore!”

I discovered a new online auction rage while in Italy. It’s called Swoopo, and thanks to well-known Las Vegas attorney Anthony Cabot, who has practiced gaming law here for 27 years, it’s coming to the States. The Web site sells amazing products at a fraction of the retail price, but Swoopo charges 60 cents each time a bidder tries. Only one person wins a $1,500 TV set for $65, and Swoopo keeps the 60 cents -- and that can run up to a very profitable business. Critics complain that it’s pure gambling, while others say it takes skill to get the winning bid, and thus it’s more a lottery than an auction. Entertainment Shopping, who is financing Swoopo’s U.S. expansion with $10 million, has retained our hometown attorney to ensure that U.S. government regulators are comfortable when they evaluate the auction game.

The food over there is simply fabulous. There simply isn’t a bad meal to be found in the different restaurants we hit nightly. The wines are totally wondrous, and whether you’re into simply reading and relaxing under the Tuscan sun, taking part in a pasta cooking class as I did with local TV celebrity chef Donatella Balducci, exploring the ancient sites of Florence or shopping up a storm for the latest Italian fashions each year, I wonder how it’s all so magically perfect.

What was the last thing I did as I began my drive back to Rome from Tuscany? Of course I rebooked for the two weeks next summer because I, along with the rest of the family, simply can’t get enough of this delightful lifestyle! If you’ve never experienced the magic of Under the Tuscan Sun, let me heartily recommend it as one of those memorable lifetime experiences you will never forget!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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