Bradley Cooper is enchanted by Italy and tells what he loves about our country: family, origins, culture, gastronomy and places that have conquered him
In recent days the name of Bradley Cooper has returned to circulation with insistence and not only for his new film projects… also for some statements that have rekindled attention on his relationship with Italy and the actor and director has allowed a deep bond with our country to emerge, discreetly recounting an affinity that is rooted in personal history and which continues to resurface, away from the spotlight.
Why Bradley Cooper is so linked to Italy
During a long interview with ‘Forbes’, Cooper retraced his artistic and human journey, allowing us to glimpse how Italy represents for him more than a simple destination, rather almost a recurring reference, which crosses memory and everyday life, and which contributes to defining his way of being in world.
In describing his relationship with Italy, Cooper often recalled values that he considers central to his personal education: “I love Italy. My madrand was born to immigrant parents, with Neapolitan and Abruzzo roots, who spoke Italian to each other. From them I inherited a strong sense of family, the pleasure of good food and a passion for specialties such as Neapolitan pastiera.”
A bond that has its roots in family history. Born in Pennsylvania, Cooper grew up in an environment where the traditions Italians were part of everyday domestic life. The maternal branch, with origins from Campania and Abruzzo, contributed to building an imaginary made of language, gestures, recipes and customs handed down over time, which became an integral part of his identity.
This legacy did not end with childhood, but continued to direct his gaze towards European and Mediterranean culture. Despite having chosen New York as the center of his professional and private life, Cooper has repeatedly hinted that Italy represents a point of reference for him emotional stable, a symbolic place in which to recognize values and roots that remain central in his human journey.
What Bradley Cooper really loves about Italy
Throughout his career, Bradley Cooper has shown constant attention to artistic choices, preferring to build an autonomous and coherent path rather than relying on predictable roles. After the success global of ‘The Hangover’ and a phase of strong media exposure, the actor has progressively oriented his work towards more personal projects, focused on emotional complexity and relational dynamics.
The transition to directing represented a turning point in this journey. With ‘A Star Is Born’ and later with ‘Maestro’, Cooper favored one look intimate on the characters, avoiding idealizations and putting bonds, fragility and identity at the center and even in the most recent works, this tension towards authenticity has remained a constant.
In his latest film ‘Is This Thing On?’, set in New York, Cooper described a city experienced from the inside, made up of subtle relationships and a delicate balance between work and affections. In this context, the comparison with cultural models different it emerges implicitly, reinforcing the idea of an identity built through multiple belongings and references.
The reference to Italy fits precisely into this perspective. For Cooper, the country is associated with an idea of family as a stable nucleus, of shared time and rituals that resist change, where even the Kitchen takes on a value that goes beyond taste: it becomes a space for cultural and emotional transmission, capable of keeping the memory of the origins alive.
Alongside these elements, attention finally emerges for the landscape, experienced as a sensorial experience and not as a simple scenario. As reported in Forbes, Cooper said: “I’m fascinated by the beauty of Italy: Capri, Sardinia… but every city and every village has something unique that distinguishes it.”
