LA MARCHESA, LA MONACA, LA MATTA E LA SPIA
THE MARQUISE, THE NUN, THE MADWOMAN AND THE SPY
Antonella Kurzen / Switzerland / 2024 / 56 min / Colour
A retreat “for religious study and rest.” This was how the Marquise Carla Nobili Vitelleschi justified the construction of a building at 1,700 meters above sea level, on the rocky cliffs of Monte Generoso. But that strange, nearly inaccessible house—perched high on the rocks on the Swiss-Italian border in the Lugano Prealps—hardly looked like a retreat. Its position made it resemble a wartime bunker or a place of worship for hermits. What were the marquise’s true intentions? And who was she really? A spy? A madwoman? An eccentric nun in search of peace? Or none of the above? The documentary seeks to unravel these mysteries through interviews, archival documents, and climbs to the enigmatic house, whose story intertwines with that of the marquise herself—from her connections with the Fascist regime, to her admiration for Gandhi, to her final retreat in Rocca di Papa, in the Castelli Romani. A woman as intriguing as the refuge she had built into the rock.
Antonella Kurzen
Based in Switzerland, after studying painting, photography, and film techniques, she came into contact with the world of yoga during a trip to India for a co-directed documentary.Her first feature film is La marchesa, la monaca, la matta e la spia (2024), produced by Radiotelevisione Svizzera Italiana.
