by Sylvia Poggioli

It's just 15 miles south of Rome, but it looks more like ancient Jerusalem. Welcome to the vast backlot at Cinecittà, the sprawling movie metropolis where the original Ben-Hur was filmed, and a remake is currently in production.

In the 1950s and '60s, Cinecittà, or Cinema City, was known as "Hollywood on the Tiber," famed for the swords-and-sandals epics as well as spaghetti Westerns. Later, with competition from TV and cheaper studios in Eastern Europe, Cinecittà fell on hard times.

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Source: http://wvpublic.org/