A Quest in Search of Indiana Jones

With its beautiful natural scenery, breath taking landscapes and architectural marvels Sicily has set the scene for many Hollywood movies including The Godfather, Oceans Twelve, Star Wars Revenge of the Sith, Aquaman and most recently the musical Cyrano plus the Oscar winning Italian movie Cinema Paradiso.

Last year I was super excited to hear that Indiana Jones 5 was due to be shot on the island.

I have absolutely adored the Indiana Jones movies since I was at school so much so that at one point I wanted to be an archaeologist just like "Indy". The fact that I am scared of snakes, scorpions and creepy crawlies veered me to not pursue my dream. I had the pleasure of meeting an Egyptology student a few years back and he assured me that being an archaeologist really wasn’t like being Indiana Jones but they still have to sleep in tents in the desert sometimes surrounded by critters.

When other girls were gushing over 80's pop bands such as Duran Duran and Wham with posters covering their bedrooms walls, mine was adorned with Harrison Ford. Sadly the closest I have ever got to Indy was at Disneyland in California on the Indiana Jones Ride.

The movies certainly did infuse me with a love for archaeology and mythology and each school holiday I would drag my father to the British Museum in London to see the Egyptian mummies and antiquities, thankfully he had the same passion for the Indiana Jones movies and archaeology as I did. Many years later I was super honoured to be invited to the private press preview via my Blog of the British Museums exhibition "Sicily Culture and Conquest" and I am sure that my dear father would have been very proud of me and would have loved to have accompanied me.

I think that maybe the Indiana Jones movies were instrumental in my love for Sicily as well, with its abundance of ancient temples, archaeological sites and museums and its many myths and legends, sense of adventure and discovery.

The Indiana Jones movies were based on the adventures of Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, a fictional globe trotting professor of archaeology. The first movie Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981 which was soon followed by The Temple of Doom, then The Last Crusade and later The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The series of movies were created by Star Wars director George Lucas and starred Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. The movie franchise gathered a cult following.

Rumours circled early last year that part of the movie would be shot in England and Scotland and that filming in Sicily would commence in August. A post appeared on the Ex-Pats Living in Sicily Facebook page saying that extras were needed for a film being shot in Cefalù around that time. Could it be Indiana Jones 5 I thought? Could it be possible that I could meet my hero? But the bummer was that I was stuck in London and due to Covid travel restrictions I could not travel to Sicily. What a big bummer!

Then fate took a turn when Harrison Ford sustained an injury to his shoulder whilst rehearsing a fight scene in the UK and so filming was delayed for three months whilst he recovered. Woo hoo, I counted August, September, October .... OCTOBER!!!!! We would be in Sicily in October!!!!! Could Daisy play the part of a dusty dog in an ancient Arabic market place? Maybe I could get the part of his adventurous female sidekick that always has accidents?

I started to follow the Twitter account ‘Indiana Jones 5 News’ which was keeping its followers up to date with news on the cast and filming locations.

As we embarked on our road trip home from London to Sicily and whilst driving through France the seaside town of Cefalù was being transported back to the 1960’s where the film production crew were decorating the town with American memorabilia. Old school cars, vintage store facades and weathered posters started to adorn the popular holiday hotspot. Also old fashioned US mail boxes and stacks of New York daily newspapers were displayed on racks stating “Oust Cuban Spy For Nixon Plot”. It is said that the first scenes that were shot started with a young boy being kidnapped and another a funeral scene.

As we arrived home safely in Sicily so did Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford flew into Catania airport. Swoon!!!! Friends in London started messaging me saying if you see him tell him I love him and bring him back home to me. Oh nooooooo !!! If I found him he would be mine, all mine and Daisy’s of course.

Joining Harrison Ford in Sicily was Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen who received worldwide acclaim for playing the bad guy Le Chiffre in the James Bond film Casino Royale. Could he be playing the bad guy in the new movie? Maybe a Nazi which are always featured in the movies?

Soon photos started to emerge on social media of Harrison Ford being photographed about town and having his photo taken with locals and rumours circled within private drivers we know who were being contracted to escort cast and crew during film production but were sworn to secrecy. Jealous, me? Never!!!

Then finally he was spotted wearing Indiana’s famous brown weathered leather jacket, hat and shirt. Locals started posting photos from their windows of work in action. Indy was officially back in business.

Rumours started to circulate that filming was moving south to Siracusa and that film crews and props were in place at Castello Maniace on Ortigia and at the Archaeological Park where it was said that the Ear of Dionysus was being transformed into an old mine. At the castle there was supposedly a scene with horses, gunfire and smoke. Other rumours say that a laboratory of inventions was set up in the castles basement. Could this be related to Archimedes who was Siracusa’s legendary mathematician in Ancient Greek times?

We never need an excuse to visit Siracusa and so it was time for me and Daisy to go on a quest in search of Indiana Jones. The next day we set off for the blue skies of Siracusa, yes they really are that blue.

A couple of years ago I got a tip off that a new series of Inspector Montalbano, Sicily’s popular TV detective, was being filmed in its usual settings in south east Sicily and after a morning searching we finally found the cast and crew filming in Scicli and ended up on the set during their lunch break. If I could find Inspector Montalbano surely I would be able to find Indiana Jones?

I love Siracusa and our visits always start in the ancient market on Ortigia where I always stock up on oregano that is handpicked and stripped in the local countryside, this oregano has a unique flavour like no other. I also like to stock up on sun dried tomatoes from the south eastern tomato farms.

After a light lunch of Arancini and a Gelato and fuelled with a glass of crisp Sicilian white wine we headed for the Castello Maniace. It was closed to the public. Yes, could we be in luck?

Sadly no.

All was quiet on arrival except a security guard at the taped off drawbridge entrance but clearly visible inside beyond the castle gates into the courtyard we could see film props like crafts and old carts that you could imagine in an ancient market. Daisy did manage to get under the tape much to the security guards amusement but he was staying tight lipped. Could the castle have been used as the set for an old fashioned market? Rumours were that there was a boat prop inside that looked like either a Viking, Ancient Greek or Roman warship. The previous day a swordsman had been seen being filmed on the castles perimeter walls near the sea.

With no sign of Indy we headed off to our next chance of seeing him at the Archaeological Park. As we drove past we could see that it was work as usual with tourists and coach parties so sadly he was not there either. Sigh!!!

Unknown to us Indy was already heading towards the western side of Sicily where he was joined by actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was spotted being filmed pulling Harrison Ford out of a ditch beside a boat full of Roman gladiators. The cast was also joined by renowned actor Antonio Banderas.

So what do we know so far about the movie?

Hollywood Screen writer and producer James Manfold is directing the film replacing the original director George Lucas. A time travel theme has been rumoured especially as Roman soldiers have been spotted, also a World War 2 plane wreckage has been seen plus the 1960’s sets in both Cefalù and London’s Covent Garden. The plot and title are still surrounded in secrecy and filming is still ongoing at Pinewood Studios outside London.

Whether Sicily is going to be a feature in the movie or was just being used as a film set we will just have to wait until July 2023 when the movie hits the cinemas to find out.

Sadly I never did get to meet “Indy”, after filming on the west coast the cast and crew headed to Fez in Morocco leaving me behind heartbroken in Sicily.

Harrison if you read this post "I Love You".

The film certainly has been shot in some stunning settings and was a perfect choice for an Indiana Jones movie, so let’s have a look at some of the Sicilian filming locations we know about so far …

Cefalù

Cefalù is a small fishing town and a popular resort, thanks to its good sandy beaches, located on the northern coastline of Sicily wedged between mountains and the sea. Whilst it is a constant tourist draw the town has managed perfectly to retain its medieval character. It was founded in the 4th century BC but was destroyed by the Norman Count Roger in 1063. It only regained prominence thanks to his son King Roger II who endowed the town with a cathedral decorated with exceptional Byzantine mosaics. The historic centre is divided into narrow warren like pedestrianised Arabic style alleyways with cobbled stones and washing strewn across from building to building and secret little courtyards like a ready made film set. Cefalù would be the perfect place for a pursuit through all the alleys trying to get away from the bad guys or chasing kidnappers. The towns picturesque harbour was used as one of the filming locations in one of my favourite films 'Cinema Paradiso'.

Castello Maniace

The Castello Maniace is a citadel and castle in Siracusa. It is situated at the far point of the Ortigia island promontory, where it was constructed between 1232 and 1240 by the Emperor Frederick II. It bears the name of George Maniakes, the Byzantine General who besieged and took the city of Siracusa in 1037. He first built a fort in 1038 after he captured the city from the Arabs. King Peter of Aragon resided here with his family in 1288 and then from 1305 to 1536 the castle was used as residence by numerous Queens of Sicily. In the 15th century it was used as a prison. In the following century it was included in the fortification defending the harbour. A huge explosion damaged it in 1704, after which it was renovated and adapted for the use of guns. Another perfect filming location and it was most recently used as a location for the movie Cyrano.

The Ear of Dionysus

The Ear of Dionysus is a limestone cave carved out of a hill in the archaeological park of Siracusa. Its name, given by the painter Michelangelo da Caravaggio, comes from its similarity in shape to the human ear. The name is also linked to the acoustic effects in the cave. It is said that people's voices echo up to sixteen times. According to legend the Greek tyrant Dionysus I of Syracuse used the cave as a prison and by means of the perfect acoustics he was able to eavesdrop on the plans and secrets of his captives. Another more gruesome legend claims that Dionysus carved the ear in its shape so that it would amplify the screams of the prisoners being tortured inside, however it is a strong possibility that the cave is actually of natural origin. Whatever the case it makes the perfect location for an old mine.

The Temple of Segesta

On a hill over looking the Gulf of Castellammare and just outside the site of the ancient city of Segesta lies an unusually well preserved Doric temple. Some think it to have been built in the 420's BC by an architect from Athens despite the city never having any Greek population. Some say it is likely that the temple was built by the Elymian's who were an ancient tribal people who inhabited the western part of Sicily during the bronze age and classical antiquity. The temple has six by fourteen columns on a base measuring twenty one by fifty six metres set on a platform three steps high. Several elements suggest that the temple was never finished as it lacks any decoration, altar or deity dedication and was never roofed over. You can get a glimpse of the temple from the Palermo to Trapani motorway and this stunning natural scenery was used in The Godfather Part III when the Corleone Family travel to Sicily. An Indiana Jones movie would definitely not be complete without an ancient temple.

Castellammare del Golfo & San Vito Lo Capo

Castellammare del Golfo is a town in the Province of Trapani. The name can be translated as "Sea Fortress on the Gulf" stemming from the medieval fortress in the harbour. The nearby sea takes its name from the town which is known as the Gulf of Castellammare. The Arabs invaded here from 827AD and called it "Al Madarig" meaning "The Steps" probably due to an uphill steep street leading from the harbour to the fortified town. Fishing has been important in the town since ancient times. San Vito Lo Capo is a small town which is located in a valley between mountains and is home to a beach that could rival any beach in the Caribbean. Its primary industry is tourism for those looking for a gorgeous stretch of white sand and crystal clear waters. The coastline is the perfect location for maybe the wreckage of a World War 2 plane or maybe a Roman sea vessel? Actors dressed as Roman gladiators were said to have been seen in the area. The film Ocean's Twelve was filmed nearby and also the Inspector Montalbano episode The Sense of Touch. It was during filming here that a tourist found Harrisons Ford's credit card on the beach which he had lost after going for a stroll during a break in filming. Oh why could not that have been me?