Local ambassador stories: Sebastiano Somma, Chianciano Terme

We meet him on a sunny March afternoon at a place he confesses to particularly loving, a corner of paradise in Chianciano Terme: the Theia thermal pools.
“This is a place that I sometimes dream about and often think about when I'm in Rome between the stress of work and daily life: to know that just a stone's throw away, just a two-hour drive away, there are places like this that offer the chance to regenerate with beautiful warm waters and a landscape like this, is magical. I like to come back and see friends again to find that warmth, that sympathy, that unique pleasantness that only here I can find.”
Sebastiano Somma is a well-known actor, a well-known face of TV and theater, and for Valdichiana Living, the local ambassador of Chianciano Terme. Yes, because it is a few years that he has been a regular visitor to the spa center in the Valdichiana Senese, but he has some memories there since the 1980s.
“At this center I have both memories related to the phase of my youth, when I used to present evenings related to fashion, and experiences related to the phase that began a few years ago for more ‘serious’ work reasons, such as film or theater”.
This new arrival in a professionally more mature phase of the actor's life in Chianciano Terme is linked to two films made close to each other, both signed by director Fabrizio Guarducci, “Mare di Grano” and “Una sconosciuta”,  thanks to which Somma was able to discover and fully appreciate the Valdichiana Senese and the nearby Val d'Orcia.

“Given my frequent forays into Chianciano Terme, whether for work or not, people are often convinced that I am local, and this pleases me greatly because I appreciate this land so much. To tell the truth, Chianciano has really remained in my heart since the film “Una Sconosciuta” that we shot during the sensitive Covid period. The plot was closely related to the pandemic, years that were difficult for me because the virus took my mom away. Despite the great suffering, Chianciano was like a balm. A beautiful area, rich in history and scenery that cured my pain. Here you can look out from any corner and see incredible views. And then I admit, that period also allowed me to discover the area from the point of view of the food and wine delicacies that I often seek out in Rome, such as Chianina meat, which I believe is the absolute top. But between handmade pici, cured meats, cheeses, jams, oil, wine, every time I come back here I am always spoiled for choice”.
From these words one can well understand the great affection Sebastiano Somma has for Chianciano Terme, where he loves to enjoy moments of thermal relaxation, indulging in the warmth of nature and friendships established with local people.

In these weeks the actor is in the area again, staying in the spa town as is now his custom, to record another film set between Chianciano and nearby Chiusi, entitled “La partita delle emozioni”, also by Guarducci: “He is Tuscan, so he doesn't struggle to set films i these places, and I, on the other hand, have to be honest, I particularly push to return to record in this area where there is good work, people are helpful and there are possibilities to space between work and relaxation. I'm staying in a hotel that has a view that fills my heart and eyes, namely the valley overlooked by the lovely old town of Chianciano!” 
His experience both humanly and professionally also binds him deeply to the Teatro Caos, where he has been many times for various shows and where he arrived thanks to a prominent Chianciano personality: “It was Manfredi Rutelli, an excellent playwright, if I arrived at the small but lovely local theater, where by the way there is a nice group of intellectuals who do high-level theater and there is excellent programming every year.”

The place of the local ambassador's heart:

Definitely the historic center, but I can't pinpoint just one place, it's too difficult for me. There is the beautiful promenade that crosses the center from one side to the other until you get to the plaque dedicated to Pirandello, the little square with the statue of Bonaventura Somma, the Chaos Theater because I love theater and that one specifically somehow belongs to me. But I cannot forget the veranda of the café-pastry shop at the beginning of the course overlooking the valley: I like to stay there and enjoy the landscape and the serenity of these places.

Sebastiano Somma returns to Chianciano Terme whenever possible; he loves the serenity, the spa, the landscapes, the food and wine, and the local people