Spartaco Scarpellini's life between Italy and America showcased in new film project

A new video project titled ‘Doppio sguardo. Il mondo di Spartaco Scarpellini filmato tra l’Italia e l’America’ will be presented on September 3 at the Museo Nazionale dell’Emigrazione Italiana (MEI) in Genoa.

The project utilizes approximately one hundred 8mm films to document the life of Spartaco Scarpellini, an Italian-American who lived between Boston and Romagna. Born in Boston in 1919 to an anarchist family from Romagna, Scarpellini used an 8mm camera to record his life following World War II.

His archive serves as a visual diary, capturing travels, family moments, and landscapes that bridge two worlds. The footage includes his career at Joseph’s Restaurant in Boston—a venue frequented by the Kennedy family—and his frequent returns to Bellaria, Italy. The video installation, curated by the Fondazione Home Movies, will remain on display at the MEI until October 31.