Ennio Morricone conducting in Studio A at Forum Studios in Rome.
Courtesy of Forum Studios
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Courtesy of Forum Studios
Ennio Morricone conducting in Studio A at Forum Studios in Rome.
Courtesy of Forum Studios
There are few film composers who have created music as iconic as Ennio Morricone. Some of his most memorable soundtracks were recorded at Forum Studios, the recording studio he co-founded in 1969 alongside Armando Trovajoli, Luis Bacalov and Piero Piccioni.
When Morricone was there recording his score for the film Once Upon a Time in America, one of the people in the room was a 12-year-old kid named Marco Patrignani.
“I perfectly remember, as a young boy, running around the studio and experiencing the power of an orchestra, performing the amazing music of Ennio,” he says.
Patrignani’s parents ran the studio during that time. Now, he’s in charge. As part of our Sense of Place: Rome series, Patrignani gives you a tour of Forum Studios, and he talks about taking care of this special place and all its history.

World Cafe host Raina Douris and Marco Patrignani at Forum Studios.
Kimberly Junod/WXPN
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Kimberly Junod/WXPN
World Cafe host Raina Douris and Marco Patrignani at Forum Studios.
Kimberly Junod/WXPN
This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Kimberly Junod. The web story was created by Miguel Perez. Our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.