The charming little town of Nemi near Rome is famous for its little woodland strawberries, celebrated in an annual Strawberry Festival that attracts thousands of visitors. Over the last couple of years, however, the strawberries risked being overshadowed by a Turkish soap opera called "La Stagione delle Ciliege, La Stagione dell'amore" (Cherry time. The Season of Love"), in which several scenes were filmed in Nemi.
The tormented love story of actors Serkan Cayoglu and Ozze Gurel was a smash hit on Italian TV Canale 5 and disappointed fans besieged the producers (Fox TV) when the series closed in 2017 with requests for more.
Meanwhile, the soap has attracted coach loads of Turkish tourists to Nemi where they can see screenings of the series in the souvenir shop of artist Santino Lenzi, who had a bit part in one of the episodes.
Nemi is twinned with two towns in Turkey: Erenkoy and Intepe, near the archeological site of Troy, due to its ancient associations with sanctuaries in Turkish territory connected with the goddess Diana/Artemis, who had an important temple on the shores of Nemi lake.
Info: Tel. +39.06.9368071 segreteria@comunedinemi.rm.gov.it
