Un passo dal cielo
Shooting for the successful Italian series "Un passo dal cielo" (Just a step away from Heaven) started in the summer of 2010. Since then Terence Hill, the main character, has been coming to Lake Braies and the Alta Pusteria Valley for filming the series which is now already in its third season.
Terence Hill plays Pietro
Terence Hill, whose real name is Mario Girotti and who speaks German fluently, plays the part of the forester Pietro. Pietro is a forestry inspector in the sleepy small town of San Candido. He lives a solitary retiring life on Lake Braies near the town. Earlier, he was a hero of the mountains but he now carries the awful secret of his wife's tragic death in an accident. Contemplative Pietro has dedicated himself to protecting life and nature. And although it's not really part of his, he does uncover some of life's traps and snares.
What else occurs
These cases are really the responsibility of the police in the person of Commissario Vincenzo Nappi. When the inspector was "promoted" he was transferred from Naples to the tranquil little mountain town of San Candido, where a man from the city faces new challenges. Above all, Vincenzo is not used to dealing with nature. The attractive vet Silvia gives him a hand and he falls in love with her. The commissario is repeatedly taken up with cases, so there's many a twist and turn before he can get engaged to Silvia. Then there's another setback because Tobias, Silvia's closest childhood friend, turns up and the relationship becomes complicated.
In addition, Pietro's best friend, the forestry worker nicknamed "Roccia", is worried about his young and blind daughter Chiara, who falls in love with Pietro's nephew. Comic relief is provided by the red-haired Huber, the commissario's somewhat plodding assistant.
Locations
This Italian television series was going to be called "L’uomo del bosco“ (Man of the Woods) and is filmed in the Alta Pusteria Valley, with the village of San Candido being portrayed as a town. But as the village does not provide a wide enough range of settings for the many murders and crimes, shots are also taken in nearby villages. One of the main shooting locations is Lake Braies. This is Pietro's realm, where he lives on the pontoon bridge created for the shoots. An annex of the Hotel Lake Braies is used as the police station, forestry commission building and as the veterinary practice.
A success
"Un passo dal cielo" treats the viewer to fantastic scenery and is very popular. No wonder quite a few of the people staying at Hotel Trenker, the Hotel on Lake Braies, are fans of this TV format. The series regularly attracts record numbers of viewers, beating major well-known programmes hollow in the ratings game.
We can't wait to see what happens next!