Jean & Jose's house in Sicily?

What town was it in? I don't recall if it was mentioned.

Ferrys seem to go to either Catania or Palermo from Naples or Salerno. Which one was it?

Darkstar117 wrote:What town was it in?

Taormina

Thanks!

There are several ferries that go to it from the western shore of Italy, not just the toe of the Italian Boot. I did the research on them and wrote of them in the beginning chapters of UN Resolution.

As far as I know there are no ferries that run directly into Taormina. In OVA episode #2 one of the brothers states that Hillshire and the girls have arrived on the other side of the island, implying that they came into a port in Northern Sicily.

ElfenMagix wrote:There are several ferries that go to it from the western shore of Italy, not just the toe of the Italian Boot. I did the research on them and wrote of them in the beginning chapters of UN Resolution.

I used those as a minor story element once as well. Elio drives all day on the way to Sicily and only gets a short nap on the Villa San Giovanni-Messina ferry before it's back to driving...causing him to regret not taking Giuseppe Croce's advice to take the Napoli-Catania ferry.

Just got back from Messina & Taoramina.



Pics will follow.

So, I mentioned earlier in another post that I was TDY to Sicily.

Finally am getting around to some Gunslinger Girl location chasing.

Toarmina. Now I just need to find the location Yu Aida scouted for the actual location. Anyone have any hints?












This is the beach & island Jose & Henrietta are on in Chapter 29.

It has a bar on it, but it was closed when we walked out there.






The Messina straight. The operation at the bridge took place here.



ETA: I'll fix the pictures once I've had a chance to sober up and sleep a little.

nice pictures you got out there~

I hope to visit Sicily in my life...

Excellent stuff, Darkstar! Excellent location for a deployment too...really makes me miss the AF.

Now I just need to find the location Yu Aida scouted for the actual location. Anyone have any hints?

I doubt Yu had any particular house in mind...he probably drew the villa based on typical local architecture.

However...if there is a direct corollary take a look at Chapter 5; the 8th page.

Elenora & Pietro have their back to a domed church roof. Find a view of that location from that angle and you might find the house. Just be careful about knocking on the door...


The amphitheatre where Jean & Giuseppe go in Chapter 29 will probably be easier to find.

I'll fix the pictures once I've had a chance to sober up and sleep a little..

Sober up? Why ever would you do a thing like that?

Too easy to find.



Where Jean & Jose sit.

Wow once again I find myself really appreciating Mr. Aida's art....

Toarmina is a filming location of the french film The Big Blue of Luc besson, the director of Nikita and Leon.



The big Blue is renamed The Cold Blue in the anime Eden of the East.

tremec6speed wrote:Wow once again I find myself really appreciating Mr. Aida's art....

Seconded; I spent a long time picking out details in Darkstar's photos and finding them in Yu's drawing.

vb2n wrote:Toarmina is a filming location of the french film The Big Blue of Luc besson, the director of Nikita and Leon.

It's been a long time since I've heard anyone even remember that film. As I recall it wasn't bad. Freediving has got to be an absolutely crazy subculture.

Terrific shots Darkstar. I see you didn't really have perfect light that day (the overcast skies take away your shadows and mute the bright colors) but your framing and composition is great.

Yo, nice photos, Darkstar. i hope the weather will get a bit better.

As for the Villa: If I remember right Henrietta jumped from several balconies and roofs in a straight line and landed at the curve of a road very close to the sea. that could help to find the location, at least more or less the estimated region, with google earth / google maps.
(unfortunatley these chapter are not available at mangafox, whysoever they're not online right now...)

The problem is there are no roads like that from what I've seem. We even took the SS114 (the coast road) to Catania, and didn't come across anything like it. So I believe that part may have been a bit of artistic license. We didn't have much light remaining, since we spent most of the day in Messina.

I couldn't find a church with a dome like the one in the manga in Taormina. I have the manga on my phone, and was attempting to use it as a reference. But even between two chapters (5 & 29), there are slight differences that may make it impossible to find without help from Mr Aida (hint, hint, if you really are on here!). I suspect the location may be a conglomeration of those from the local area, and not of a single specific (real) location.

I have a few more pictures that better illustrate a few panels in the manga. A better ones of Isla Bella, and one of the ferry at Messina (which looks almost exactly like one from the manga). Will upload once I get off duty).

Yay, google!



A: Amphitheatre (Chapter 29 & OVA)

B: Beach (Chapter 29 & OVA)

C: Taormina-Giardini Train Station (OVA)

D: Isla Bella (Chapter 29 & OVA)

Nice work Darkstar...
...As to finding the church, perhaps a Lonely Planet to get started? As far as I can tell the biggest problem with trying to locate churches in Europe is that the place is full of the things.

Needle in a stack of needles!

It dawned on me that I am practically stalking Hentrietta, Jose, Rico, and Jean.

"I know where they went to the beach, where the brothers met, and where they picked up their cyborgs. Now to find out where they all live!"

Darkstar117 wrote:It dawned on me that I am practically stalking Hentrietta, Jose, Rico, and Jean.

"I know where they went to the beach, where the brothers met, and where they picked up their cyborgs. Now to find out where they all live!"

The SWA... may not take kindly to that...

Just don't try to steal her purse.

Panarama from Isla Bella, showing the beach that Jose & Etta walked. (The rocks really do hurt your feet!)



Overhead of the Beach. Both are visible for Chapter 29 and the 2nd OVA.

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Elenora & Pietro have their back to a domed church roof. Find a view of that location from that angle and you might find the house.

I took a tour through most streets north ans south of Taormina with google earth (luckily in fullHD) and did not found any similarity, unfortunately the coast roads are not available except the via nazionale SS114.


I'm not quite sure where this pic exactly was taken, google said Taormina, it COULD be the dome in the back of Eleonora and Pietro or not.
I don't know how exactly Aida followed the real buildings, if he did not cared that much, it could be that dome, if he mixed up several sight from other towns around, the dome in the panel could be the one near Milazzo Fortress.


Edit:

Another view from a different point.

Edit2:
I finally located the church of San Pancrazio with Google Earth:



With that knowledge it should be a bit easier to find the Villa (if that dome really is San Pancrazion). go upstairs, through some gates and there somewhere should be the Villa.

Also, i estimated the distance, between the Via Nazionale SS114 and this church there are around 750meters through the air, by feet around 20minutes downtown to the beach where Jean and Josè took their cyborgs to. So it is a quite short way.
By the Way, the greek theatre is just 7 minutes away from that church.


@Darkstar, do you have the manga pages in a folder? Is it possible you could send them to my email? Mangafox said they are not available at the moment (meanwhile the entire day... whatever problem they have with their database....) and i don't know where i can found them instead.
Please, at all, send me the chapters if you have them on your hard disk.

Schaschanist may be correct. I believe we all expected the Croce villa to face east or south, but it may be facing north.



Here is something I just noticed.

Darkstar117 wrote: Here is something I just noticed.

Ah, but that evidence is circumstantial because we don't know exactly where Henrietta launched from. She and Elenora were going out to the market when this happened...they may have walked many blocks before the purse was stolen.

Darkstar117 wrote:Schaschanist may be correct. I believe we all expected the Croce villa to face east or south, but it may be facing north.



Here is something I just noticed.

Well, THIS looks alot more uptown than i expected, at least from this point of view.
The curve is not directly next to the sea, looks like there are some more 'stairs' downtown.

Based on that pics, the villa is on a very high point in taormina.

There is a picture where Etta looks down from the balcony of the villa, do you have it somewhere?

Ja

Darkstar117 wrote:Ja

Thanks mate, i will have a look at this after breakfast. I'm sure together we can locate the villa perhaps.

I see the tower in the background an a characteristical coast, that helps.

WEll, i mafde a nother tour through Taormina with google earth.
I doubt that the set of the Manga does really exist, i believe it is more an artistic location, made of several different houses and sights and 'handwavium'



It looks like that is the Villa, but with a slightly deranged point of view.


this could be the example for the stairs the two went up, or maybe just some meters later on their way upstairs.

If we get the oppurtunity to go back, I will definitly go to those areas to see.

Awesome pics , I wish I could go to Sicily