Italian town capitalizing on 'Twilight'

VOLTERRA, Italy, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The Italian town of Volterra is trying to cash in on the notoriety steered its way by being tabbed the home of a vampire coven in the U.S. movie "Twilight."

Variety.com reported Friday with "Twilight" fans flocking to the Tuscany town to visit the home of the fictional Volturi vampire ruling body, local shop owners are offering various "Twilight" memorabilia ranging from T-shirts to calendars.

The Volturi play a key role in the "Twilight" sequel, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," due out in theaters next Friday.

In anticipation of the new film, Volterra is offering a "New Moon" weekend package to tourists and "Waiting for 'New Moon' " theme parties.

The weekend package in Volterra even includes a "Hot on the Trail of Edward and Bella" walking tour in reference to the movies' main characters.

Variety said the sudden popularity of Volterra comes despite the fact the Volturi scenes for "New Moon" were shot in Montepulciano nearly 70 miles away.