Claudia Cardinale and the places of her life: a journey between the Mediterranean and Hollywood

We bid farewell to Claudia Cardinale , who died on September 23, 2025, in Nemours, France, at the age of 87. Not just an actress, but a symbol of national and international cinema , a cosmopolitan woman who knew how to intertwine her life with the cities and countries that shaped her career and identity. From Tunisia to France, passing through Rome and Hollywood, her artistic and personal journey is a journey through different cultures, languages, and atmospheres that led her to act in over 150 films .

In just a few years, with her Mediterranean features and fierce personality, she became the muse of some of the greatest directors in history, from Luchino Visconti to Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone, and Mario Monicelli. Here, we retrace the places that served as the backdrop to the extraordinary life of one of the last great cinema divas .

La Goulette, Tunis: his birthplace

Claudia Josephine Rose Cardinale was born in Tunis in 1938 to Sicilian parents, in the seaside neighborhood of La Goulette , a cosmopolitan crossroads where Italians, French, Maltese, Arabs, and Jews lived side by side. Raised in this context, rich in diverse languages, traditions, and religions, she absorbed Mediterranean influences from an early age, initially speaking French and Arabic before turning to Italian.

Her childhood, free and sunny, remains inextricably linked to those bustling streets , the scents of spices, and the blinding light of the sea. Even after leaving Tunisia for Italy, where her acting career quickly took off, Cardinale never forgot that original connection: in her words, this country remains the most authentic setting for her memories, the emotional matrix that shaped her open, free, and plural identity. And it is here, in the neighborhood where she was born, that she was honored in 2022 with the naming of a street.

Rome, where her acting career began

She arrived in Rome in the late 1950s, the beating heart of European cinema. Her natural beauty soon captivated Cinecittà, then considered the center of "Hollywood on the Tiber," and directors like Visconti and Fellini. It was in the capital that her transformation took place: from a shy girl, she became an international diva, starring in now-unforgettable films like The Leopard and 8½ .

However, as often happens, fame also brings its downsides. Claudia Cardinale began to feel the suffocating weight of celebrity , with paparazzi following her everywhere, making it difficult for her to perform even the simplest daily tasks. So she decided to move to Paris.

Hollywood and the United States: the international myth

In the 1960s, Claudia Cardinale flew overseas and landed in Hollywood , where she starred in major American productions. Her magnetic beauty and compelling screen presence made her one of the studios' most sought-after European actresses. Films like Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West cemented her image as a timeless diva, capable of embodying complex and captivating characters. The United States thus represented the pinnacle of her international career.

France: Paris and Nemours, a new home

Since the 1980s, Claudia Cardinale has chosen France as her home, settling first in Paris , a city that welcomed her as a true star of auteur cinema and European co-productions. She later moved to Nemours , where she lived away from the spotlight, while maintaining an unbreakable bond with art and cinema.

It is here that she created the Claudia Cardinale Foundation , which aims to support emerging and existing artists through exhibitions and residencies, with a particular focus on ecology and female artists.