½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

The ‘Italo’ movie is set to tell the touching story of a stray dog that captured the heart of Italy. The film is inspired by a true story and named after its protagonist, a honey-coloured mongrel called ‘Italo’, who died on 30 January 2011. During his life, Italo was adopted by locals in the small town of Scicli in Ragusa, Sicily. Practically a human on all fours, Italo became the town mascot: he went to mass, weddings and funerals; ate pizza at a local pizzeria; attended all of Scicli’s religious festivals; and served as a guide for tourists showing them to the local monuments. Italo was also a brave dog and one night saved a young girl walking along a street. She was attacked by a thief and Italo jumped on the man and chased him off. The movie is the directorial debut for Alessia Scarso. Italo will be played by eight-year-old canine actor Tomak and the human protagonist will be a young boy. Other two-footed stars include ½ûÂþÌìÌà sex symbol Marco Bocci, an actor best known for his role playing vice police commissioner Domenico Calcaterra in the popular ½ûÂþÌìÌà TV cop show ‘Squadra Antimafia’ (Antimafia Squad), who will play a young father and widower. Other cast members include Elena Radonich and Barbara Tabita. The production is being sponsored by the Direzione Generale per il Cinema and the Ministero per i Beni Culturali. The film will be shot in Scicli and other Baroque towns in the surrounding area in southeast Sicily, famed as locations for the ‘Inspector Montalbano’ TV series. No release date for ‘Italo’ has yet been announced.