Did Bob Dylan Follow Suze Rotolo to Italy? ‘A Complete Unknown’s’ Local Release Prompts Reports That He Visited Perugia to Find Her

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The Italian version of James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” is causing local media to suggest that, unlike in the movie, Dylan actually traveled to Italy in 1962 to find Suze Rotolo, not Sylvie Russo (played by Elle Fanning), who had gone to study abroad in real life.

1962 saw Sara Rotolo departing from her shared apartment in Greenwich Village with Dylan and moving to Perugia alongside her mother. It was here that she enrolled at the renowned University for Foreigners, a place of learning that coincidentally Amanda Knox also attended in 2007.

The Perugian institution has unearthed an enrollment record belonging to Susan Elisabeth Rotolo, and subsequently released a statement in which Professor Sabrina Cittadini asserted that “the relationship between Suze and Dylan was marked by many agonizing quests.” Cittadini has conducted interviews and collected testimonies suggesting that one evening in 1962, a young man stepped out of a black taxi on Corso Garibaldi, the central street of Perugia close to the university, “carrying a bouquet of red roses.” According to Cittadini, this was Bob Dylan who had traveled from Rome to Perugia in search of his Suze, as she had relocated to a new address.

In 1961, when she was seventeen years old, Rotolo crossed paths with Dylan shortly after his move to New York City. Born into a communist family, she was the child of Italian immigrants – Gioachino “Pete” Rotolo, an artist and labor union activist, and Mary, who served as editor and columnist for the American edition of the Italian newspaper L’Unità.

As a movie-loving soul, I find myself reflecting on my past, particularly the heartrending tale of my departure from Dylan. He wasn’t ready for me to embark on this Italian adventure, yet it was this very separation that seemed to have stirred the muse within him, inspiring the beautiful ballads like “Tomorrow Is a Long Time,” “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” and “Boots of Spanish Leather.

Upon her arrival back from Perugia, Rotolo is well-known for being pictured with Dylan, walking side by side, on a snowy street in Greenwich Village. This image graced the cover of his groundbreaking 1963 album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

Following a break in their partnership (as depicted in the movie), Rotolo returned to Italy and in 1970 tied the knot with Enzo Bartoccioli, an Italian filmmaker who she had encountered during her time as a student in Perugia.

As a cinephile reflecting upon the loss of a remarkable talent, I find myself compelled to share my thoughts on the life of the esteemed artist and educator, Margrit Rotolo. In 2011, at the ripe age of 67, she bid farewell to this world, succumbing to the relentless grasp of lung cancer. Her husband and son remain as cherished legacies of her life’s work.

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2025-01-28 13:46