Campania's diverse filming spots

Local and big budget fare shoot in region

By NICK VIVARELLI

CRANES AND CARDINALS: When the Catholic Church forbade Sony to shoot Ron Howard's 'Angels and Demons' on church property, Caserta's Royal Palace was called on to substitute for the Vatican.

Sony last year countered Vatican vitriol towards "Angels and Demons" by shooting at the Royal Palace in Caserta.

But besides being a stand-in for the Vatican interiors where Ron Howard could not shoot, this Versailles-like wonder long ago secured its spot on Hollywood line producers' maps, having been used by George Lucas for both "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones," and by Paramount for "Mission: Impossible 3."

Campania locations run from postcard-pretty sea sites such as Capri and the Amalfi Coast and the famed ruins at Pompeii and Paestum, to the offbeat ambiance of Naples, where architectural styles range from ancient alleyways to modern high-rises, plus a bustling port.

This sun-drenched region in the heart of the Mediterranean basin boasts an active volcano and is packed with ancient artworks while also providing gritty industrial settings. Base prices there tend to be lower than in most Italian regions further north, though rates on its ritzy isles are a different story.

Among pics to recently use Naples and its environs is Alfonso Arau's Italian-language costumer "L'imbroglio nel lenzuolo" (Trick of the Light), which, fittingly for a city whose rapport with movies dates back to the silent era, is about the olden days when films screened there on a shaky white sheet.

Naples native Pappi Corsicato recently framed his hometown in a more contempo mold, using its Centro Direzionale business district high-rises as backdrop in his campy comedy "The Seed of Discord."