written and directed by Kim Coughlin... photography by James daSilva... video by Matt Satterfield... web design by Kathryn Swartz...

Behind the concierge desk at the Hotel Pineta, the sole hotel in Cagli, Italy, sits Ferruccio Matteucci. He's not just a concierge or a receptionist like most people who sit at the front desks of hotels are accustomed, he's also the owner.

Over thirty years ago he built this hotel as well as the adjoining restaurant and cafe on free land given to him by the town hall as a solution to the problem that not having a hotel in town presented. Here he sits in the evenings, greeting all who pass through the hotels doors as if he has been here forever. This is where he met his wife, this is where he raised his daughter, but this is not where the majority of his life took place.

Melteucci, owner, concierge, and bellhop, all-in-one sits waiting for his next customer.

Ferruccio's life has been one of adventure and excitement, much like the promises of the movie trailers. He lived dangerously. I'm not talking Rebel-Without-a-Cause-wow-James-Dean-is-so-cute-dangerous, I'm talking serious, life threatening danger.

Too Fast, Too Furious

Flashback to Ferruccio as a young boy. Born and raised in Gubbio, he then became a student at the Art Institute here in Italy. His talent for the relaxing occupation of artistry has led him until this point, but a twist in the plot is about to arise. The laid back life of a painter was not in the cards for Ferruccio. Instead, his zest for the high speeds and dangerous curves of motorcycle racing would lead him down a completely new path. Racing wasn't just a hobby, it was something he was good at. Scenes of Ferruccio zoom by as he races down strips of highway that served as the race track in his time showing him crossing the finish line first at La Milano Torino.

Only one thing could hold such a motivated, fearless man back from driving towards his passion; his mother. Ferruccio's mother harbored the common fear of her son lying wounded or worse, dead, on the side of the road. So much, in fact, that she even resorted to hitting him at times and at the age of 17, having had enough, he chose to move abroad.

Ferruccio with one of this many lady friends.      

Far and Away

Cut to Venezuela where we see our protagonist working as a tree cutter. Snakes the size of fire hoses, leopards like those on National Geographic specials and monkeys more commonly viewed in zoos were creatures he lived amongst daily. This is not to say that Ferruccio and his coworkers were the only people in the jungle though. One morning they awoke to naked cannibals who were quite disturbed that the company Ferruccio was working for was clearing a path straight through this cannibalistic family's tree house. They bought off the cannibals, along with their house, with a box of sugar and a box of tobacco. So many dangers lurked in the forest, but Ferruccio said that he only had two options; be afraid and give up or learn to move past your fears and stay. Ferruccio chose to stay.
 
 
 
Ferruccio is the Italian Zorro.        

The Mask

After two years time in the jungle, we cut to our next scene; our main character in a shoe store. He's not buying hiking boots for some exotic Amazonian trek, he is selling shoes to others. Can it be that this is the same man we left stranded in the jungle? What became of our Daredevil wild spirited young man? "Zorro Italiano" as he went by in those days, was a shoe salesman by day and a wrestler by night. Embarrassed of his double life, he wore a mask. However, for a man with no fear, not living danergously was not an option. Flash back and forth between the neon lights of the shoe store and the brightly lit wrestling ring. His Jekyl and his Hyde, juxtaposed, side by side.

Then, during one match it got to be too much. Ferruccio announced that if he won the match he would take the prize, but if he lost, he would take off his mask. In the second round our hero falls and we see his face. Like the unveiling of a great super hero, we are shocked and yet comforted to see that it is our very own protagonist before us.

      Ferruccio checks in a new guest into Hotel Pineta.      
 
 
 
 
 

Back to the Future

All of the faces from our stories blur into one as we see that it is the same face that now sits behind the concierge desk at the Hotel Pineta in the small town of Cagli, Italy. No signs of his chaotic past show on his face. Ferruccio Matteucci has been back in Cagli for almost thirty years and the days of motorcycles, jungles and wrestling are long behind him. If you ask our protagonist if he misses his racing days, a simple yet emphatic "Molto, molto, molto," is his reply.

For all he seems to have given up, he has gained so much. His wife, daughter and business were a new kind of adventure. Perhaps it's not the action-packed sequel the critics had hoped for, but Ferrucio certainly gives it four stars. High speeds and wild adventures are cliches that only lead a man so far, now he lives out the happy ending most leading men only dream about. * * * *

The front desk of Hotel Pineta.    



Click here to view video footage.
Hotel Pineta's welcoming front entrance.