FRENCH VISITOR: Isabelle Huppert will be traveling to Solomeo, Italy, to read “Les Visiteurs du Soir [The Evening Visitors]” by Guy de Maupassant on March 25 at Brunello Cucinelli’s theater. The Italian entrepreneur’s company is headquartered in the 14th-century hilltop medieval village of Solomeo, which he restored over the years, expanding it to also encompass a theater, an amphitheater, and the Aurelian Neo-humanistic Academy, which hosts seminars on philosophy, history, architecture and spirituality. There’s also a vineyard, a library and a school of arts and crafts that teaches masonry, gardening and farming, tailoring, knitting, cutting and sewing, darning and mending.
The village is perched on the hills of this small town 10 minutes outside Perugia, in the central region of Umbria, about a two-hour drive from Florence. At the foot of the village today lies the production factory. One of his long-standing priorities has been to “give moral and economic dignity to artisanal work” and for his employees to function in a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere, and the theater is also part of his cultural projects.
Huppert was nominated for the 2017 Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award for her role in Paul Verhoeven’s French thriller “Elle.” The role has landed a number of accolades including an Independent Spirit Award and a second César award.
The theater’s season began at the end of September and will end on April 9 and also included concerts and ballets.