Vittorio De Sica e La porta del cielo. Un pellegrinaggio a Loreto ricostruito nella basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura nel clima dell’occupazione di Roma del 1944 / Vittorio De Sica and La porta del cielo. A pilgrimage to Loreto staged in the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura in the atmosphere of the occupied Rome in 1944

Vittorio De Sica's film La porta del cielo (1944) offers a unique lens into the intersection of religious pilgrimage, wartime survival, and cinematic innovation. Shot entirely within Rome during its 1944 occupation, the film reconstructs a journey to Loreto's Holy House within the extraterritorial confines of San Paolo fuori le Mura Basilica, circumventing dangerous external filming due to war. De Sica's work anticipates neorealism by focusing on the daily struggles of sick pilgrims and their companions, while also providing refuge for over 400 marginalized individuals—including Jews, political dissidents, and draft dodgers—who used the film production as a means to evade Nazi round-ups. The study highlights how cultural production during conflict can serve both artistic innovation and survival, blending historical documentation with narrative experimentation.

Bonaccorso, G. (2020). Vittorio De Sica e La porta del cielo. Un pellegrinaggio a Loreto ricostruito nella basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura nel clima dell’occupazione di Roma del 1944 / Vittorio De Sica and La porta del cielo. A pilgrimage to Loreto staged in the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura in the atmosphere of the occupied Rome in 1944. Il Capitale Culturale. Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage, (22), 315–336. https://doi.org/10.13138/2039-2362/2329