[Rapallo] (1913)

Handling

Rapallo is a 1913 silent travelogue produced by Cines and released internationally under the title Gulf of Togulio (a misspelling of “Tigullio”). The film is preserved in a 35mm stencil-coloured print (87.3 m, 4'20" at 18 fps) with Dutch intertitles, held by Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam. As documented by Renato Venturelli and Giancarlo Giraud in the 44th Pordenone Silent Film Festival catalogue, the film opens with a map locating Rapallo on the Ligurian coast, followed by a sequence of views of the town and surrounding landmarks. These include the monument to Christopher Columbus—funded by emigrants from Rapallo—the bridge over the Boate near Villa Queirolo, the so-called “Hannibal’s Bridge,” San Michele di Pagana, and the Castello. The use of green and blue stencil tones contributes to a calm visual atmosphere, while wind and rough seas introduce a more dynamic element. The film’s content aligns with descriptions published in Moving Picture World in May 1913.