By Erika Scafuro

A journey through Italy, wandering around the beauties of our country and discovering its style of surfing. This is what Christopher Del Moro, a Californian surfer with Italian origins, does into Bella Vita 2013 documentary directed by Jason Baffa.
Right from the title, which uses a typical expression, as well as showcasing the Italian surfing scene, this movie is very current because it shows how precious Italy is in terms of traditions, history, how much strong is the bond between the country and who lives it, the great values of the family and the passion for carrying out artisan works linked to the traditions of the birth place.

With the eye of the camera on him, Chris is a witness of a typical warm Italian welcome both from by the environment, the Tuscan hills and vineyards ready for the grape harvest, and that of his old surfing friends and their families.
Chris starts a journey in search of his Italian root, the best waves to surf are interwined with the best memories of his childhood, the summers spent cooking with grandmother Anna in her Florence apartment.
His return to Italy matches with autumn, the best Italian period for surfing and along with surfer friend Dave Rastovich, Chris will go in search of Italian waves. Through interviews and stories Chris rediscovers Italy as a surfing location and he witnesses the history and evolution of surf in our country.

As when he meets Alessandro Forte in Pisa. It was the summer of 1967 and after trying a surf board for the first time, Forte has experienced such strong emotions. Once back home Forte decided, first in Italy, to build a surfboard at home (the surfboard was so long that he couldn’t get it out of the room, and so he used the window).
But Forte wasn’t the only one who was inspired by the passion for surfing when still no one talked about it. In the same years in Bogliasco, Genova, even the Fracas’s brothers were doing the history of surfing in Italy. They tried several materials, even using the door of a cabin of a bathing establishment, to build a surf board, until they shape one board in polystirene.
Bella Vita also puts the focus on the new generation of surfing: Chris invites Leonardo Fioravanti and Coffin brothers, Conner and Parker, to try a surfing experience in Italy together.