The cars and locations of Vacanze di Natale
Forty years ago the first cinepanettone was released in theaters. Ruthless caricature of a society completely imbued with the spirit of the 1980s.
When talking Italian movies, one can identify various genres spacing from post war neorealism to Spaghetti Western’s from the 1960s, and to the so called “B movies” which in some way haven anticipated the “Cinepanettoni” saga. The latter are comedy films that have been drawing crowds to cinemas during the Christmas period, for almost forty years. Albeit debatable from a technical and artistic point of view, Cinepanettoni such as Vacanze di Natale have a profound sub-surface meaning as they photograph the Bel Paese society with stereotypes and caricatures, that are most often realistic and that manage to showcase attitudes, habits, personalities, qualities and defects of Italians.
Origins
This specific cinematographic current began exactly 40 years ago with the first Vacanze di Natale by Carlo Vanzina. The film brought together true icons of entertainment including monsters of comedy such as Jerry Calà, Christian De Sica (son of the movie director Vittorio,) Guido Nicheli as well as starlets like Stefania Sandrelli, Antonella Interlenghi and Karina Huff. Notale actors like a very young Claudio Amendola, Riccardo Garrone, Rossella Como, Roberto Della Casa, Moana Pozzi or Mario Brega, were also part of the cast.
Social context
Plot aside, it is especially interesting to understand what remains today of those nostalgic Christmas holiday scenes that have shaped expressions of Italians for decades to come. In the movie, amidst mink furs and bottles of champagne, time was not measured in hours but in "Rolex revolutions" and in Cortina d'Ampezzo, “la Perla delle Dolomiti main problem for vacationers was to choose what to wear, what party to attend and what car to drive "between the Alfetta Turbo and the BMW injection". So let’s talk about cars, which in the movie play a role almost as important as the human characters themselves.
All the 1980’s cars from Vacanze di Natale
The first five minutes of Vacanze di Natale form 1983, are enough to admire a roundup of symbolic cars that in a well written screenplay, are faithful mirrors of their owners. Thus the very rich Covelli family arrives in their own chalet with the Maserati Quattroporte and a Mercedes G-Class. The elegance of the Italian sedan, which debuted in 1979 equipped with powerful V8 engines producing up to 300bhp, is perfectly matched with the Germanic solidity of the iconic 4x4; already a symbol of unparalleled robustness and traction. In sharp contrast to the wealthy Covelli crew, the simple Marchetti family from Rome’s peripheric areas arrives in Cortina in all its true Roman-ness to stop at the Hotel Fanes, with a popular Fiat Ritmo. Billo – piano player at the Vip Club - embodies the stereotype of the penniless playboy always looking for a new adventure (and succeeding every time at it) and is arrival in Cortina is aboard a very special Innocenti Mini Turbo. Derived from the Mini and made in collaboration with De Tomaso, the city-car is powered by a 1.0 three-cylinder engine by Dahiatsu with an IHI turbocharger. The vehicle was also the first supercharged small hatchback on sale in Italy boasting 68bhp making it fun and very agile considering the short wheelbase (2.05 metres) and a weight of 670 kg. In addition to the above cars, Vacanze di Natale hosts luxurious Mercedes E-Class and a bright red Toyota FJ Cruiser with a white roof.
Immutable Cortina
The choice of Cortina d'Ampezzo as location for the entire film, is no coincidence. The small mountain village has been a renowned tourist resort since the second half of the 19th century when it was still under the Austro-Hungarian administration. Cortina then became cult venue for the well-off Italians Italian from the early 20th century onwards where it rised above all other dolomitic retreat with the 1956 Winter Olympics. Since then, Cortina hosted dozens of sporting events (including Polo, of course, and classic car regularity races) attracting tourists, celebrities and sports personalities from all over the world. As host city for the next Winter Olympics in 2026, the “Pearl of the Dolomites” still retains part of its secular sharm and most of its surrounding natural beauty.
What remains of that period
Nestled between the mountains of Faloria and Cristallo, Cortina has evolved over time while remaining exactly as mundane and frivolous as just it was 40 years ago. At the time when Carlo Vanzina released the first Vacanze di Natale, guests checked-in at Hotel Cristallo (formerly part of Ciga Hotels and now part of Marriott Luxury Collection) and The Grand Hotel Savoia (now a Radisson Hotels property). In the same place are also the caffè Posta and the infamous VIP Club. The epicentre of Ampezzo nightlife dances and flirts, the address has been converted to private club with live music still as its main allure. Members consider it “a little paradise away from the frenzy of everyday life”. And since subbing shoulders with the Vip frenzy is apparently still high in the agenda, one can say that in this respect both Cortina and its vacationers, have not changed at all.
Francesco Barontini
Raised with bread and engines by my engineer dad, I soon discovered true love for the four wheels and turned passion into a profession. I’ve been a journalist since 2003 and I love to travel both in Italy or towards exotic destinations, preferbly on the road
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