In a video posted on the Corriere del Mezzogiorno webiste yesterday, Helen Mirren asks for help to restore the last watchtower in the province of Lecce, which has been there for 700 years. The appeal for the renovation of the ancient Palane Tower, which overlooks the natural swimming pool of Marina Serra, in Tricase (Lecce), the only sighting tower in Salento that is still intact. As Helen says in the video, “this is Torre Palane, built seven centuries ago by the people who live in this beautiful land called Salento, in Puglia. Now we are in Marina Serra, and these towers were built along the entire coast to spot the invaders, mainly the Saracens, and to warn each other of the incoming Saracens, to plunder the territory. These towers have existed for centuries and are an important part of the history of Italy. Along this coast, most of it is falling into disrepair, but there is an exception: Torre Palane. It is so important to keep at least one tower in its original state along this beautiful coastline. The only way to do this is by renovating and restoring it. We need to restore Torre Palane. We are not asking you for money, we are asking you for a very simple thing: your signature on a petition asking the Italian institutions to finance the rescue of this tower. A thousand thanks”.

September 25th, 2019

“Catherine the Great” London premiere pictures (updated)

December 24th, 2016

“Collateral Beauty” promotion continued coverage

June 27th, 2019

Bill Condon on pairing Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren for “The Good Liar”