'Twilight: New Moon' mania in Italy: Vampires invade Rome while fans invade Volterra (Slideshow)

October 23, 10:07 AMCelebrity Travel ExaminerTrina Yannicos

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Actors Charlie Bewley, Cameron Bright and Jamie Campbell Bower at the Rome Film Festival

AP photo

Scenes from The Twilight Saga: New Moon were shown at the Rome Film Festival on October 22 with New Moon actors Cameron Bright, Charlie Bewley and Jamie Campbell Bower appearing on the red carpet. Fans went crazy as these three young actors signed autographs while promoting their roles as part of the Volturi clan in the second film in the Twilight series.

(See slideshow below)

A large portion of New Moon takes place in the Tuscan village of Volterra, the home of the Volturi, the powerful vampires who rule the vampire underworld. In New Moon, Edward leaves Bella in order to keep her safe, and Bella, in turn, follows Edward to Italy to save him from the sadistic Volturi.

While the film was actually shot in the medieval town of Montepulciano for more picturesque views, Volterra is fast becoming a tourist destination among devoted Twilight fans. After the Twilight movie came out in 2008, tourism to the small logging town of Forks, Washington, where the story takes place, tripled.

Tourism in Volterra, Italy will no doubt increase with the release of New Moon. The Volterra tourist office already offers a map of New Moon locations for visitors. Walking tours are being offered called "Hot on the Trail of Bella and Edward."

Volterra is located in the north-central part of Italy, about 40 minutes from Siena. While your average tourist may enjoy Volterra specialities such as boar with chocolate sauce and ricotta pastries, Twilight fans are more interested in the Palazzo dei Priori, a 13th-century palace with a distinct clock tower featuring a fountain where Bella waded through, or the Palazzo Viti, the 16th-century palace known as home to the evil Volturi.

Fans can even follow the town's happenings on the Volterra New Moon blog.

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