“The thing I love most about Naples? The sense of community that you feel everywhere and in everyone you meet in that wonderful city.” These are the words of Trudie Styler, who drew a full house at the Italian Cultural Institute of London while presenting “Posso entrare? An Ode to Naples“, her documentary about the capital of Campania. The film was produced by Big Sur, Mad Entertainment, and Rai Cinema, in co-production with Luce Cinecittà.
In conversation with Rita Di Sano, Styler shared her “love story” with Naples, bringing it to life for the audience through the voices of everyday people from both past and present. “A love that blossomed late, because I had always spent time in Tuscany before,” she admitted, referring to the estate she owns there with her husband, rock star Sting. “It was during a film festival in Ischia that I first discovered the city, experienced it, and fell in love with it.” This passion inspired her to dedicate an Ode, as the title of the documentary suggests, offering a glimpse of Naples through the lives of those who call it home—those who are proud to have stayed and have no intention of leaving.
“I walked through the streets,” Styler recounted to the audience, which included Italian Ambassador to the UK, Inigo Lambertini, Italian Cultural Institute Director, Francesco Bongarrà, and Rai Cinema CEO, Paolo Del Brocco, seated in the front row. “I knocked on doors and asked, ‘May I come in?’ And they opened them for me. People invited me in for a coffee and shared their stories, their lives. They made me feel part of a community, just as I did as a child in the small northern English village where I grew up, where everyone was always out in the streets, and everyone knew each other.”
