Walking into the Four Seasons Restaurant for HBO’s My House in Umbria after-party was like stepping inside the movie once again. Brightly colored flowers filled the restaurant, evoking the richness of Umbria (which is often called the “green heart of Italy”). The restaurant’s interpretations of the film’s lush environment and magnificent displays of food were truly feasts for all the senses!

This beautiful film, directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Hugh Whitemore, stars Dame Maggie Smith. First astonishing American filmgoers in the 1969 flick The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Dame Maggie now plays one of a group of travelers in Italy that create more meaningful lives for themselves in a magnificent country villa after surviving a terrorist attack. Ronnie Barker, Chris Cooper, Benno Furmann, Giancarlo Giannini, and Timothy Stall round out the splendid cast. My House in Umbria, both stirring and artfully directed, is not to be missed!