Medea

Pasolini’s film is based on the tragedy by Euripides in which the barbarian queen Medea of Colchis is abandoned by Jason. Blinded by jealousy, the queen resorts to magic to kill her two children and Glauce, her rival in love. Pasolini thus proposes the idea of conflict between the modern world, dominated by rationality, and the ancient world ruled by emotions. During a visit to a friend, Pasolini was struck by the landscape of the lagoon in Grado: with its more than 12 thousand hectares and with its string of islands stretching 25 kilometers, it is the most beautiful of the entire Mediterranea. What better location could there be, than the Casoni of Grado, the old thatched houses of the fishermen, to represent the Centaur Jason who lives in a hut on the beach? Today Casoni are the emblem of the lagoon and the basis for many Gradese still living by fishing. In some, transformed into rustic restaurants during the summer, you can find excellent fish dishes, accompanied by polenta and wine from Friuli.