Francis Ford Coppola has been hospitalized in Rome for a scheduled heart procedure. The 86-year-old director of The Godfather trilogy was admitted to the Tor Vergata Polyclinic yesterday afternoon. Upon arrival, he reportedly experienced a mild arrhythmia and was kept under observation prior to the operation.
Coppola, a five-time Academy Award winner, had recently been in Italy to present his latest film, Megalopolis, at the Magna Grecia Film Festival in Calabria. He’s also been using his time in the country to scout potential locations for an upcoming project, expected to begin shooting this fall.
Italy has long held a special place in Coppola’s heart. His grandfather, Agostino, emigrated from the town of Bernalda in Basilicata in the early 1900s. In 1989, Coppola was granted honorary citizenship of the town, and he frequently returns to vacation there, often visiting the nearby beaches of Metaponto on the Ionian coast.
His close connection to his Italian roots remains a defining thread in both his personal and creative life.