In the pinnacles of Utah for Once Upon a Time in the West

We fly far from Italy, precisely to the American state of Utah, to find Jill McBain, the woman who left from the far east, whom Sergio Leone, to the notes written by the brilliant Ennio Morricone, wanted to be embodied by Cardinale. While many of the exteriors can be traced back to the Tabernas desert in the Spanish region of Almeria, it is in Monument Valley that the most exhilarating naturalistic locations are to be found. In this territory that is administratively referred to as the Tribal Park of the Navajo, following the 27-mile-long loop trail, you will penetrate an overwhelming landscape of monoliths and gigantic natural sandstone sculptures that rise to a height of between 120 and 300 metres, framed by panoramic clouds casting mysterious and fanciful shadows, projected like a film screen onto the desert floor, as well as enlarged and enhanced by the varying angle of the sun over the course of the day. These pinnacles are also carpeted with vegetation and sand carried and scattered by the wind. Authorised vendors of the Navajo tribe sell handmade jewellery. At the Visitor Centre, jeep tours can be booked to the spectacular rock formations called Mitten Buttes, Merrick Butte, and the Ear of the Wind. On the way back, at the tables of the Haskenneini restaurant, you can enjoy the specialities of the native Navajo cuisine. There is even a shop where you can buy old videotapes of the film, and maybe just the one from Once Upon a Time in America.