Town mouse on cinema under the stars

Those of us town mice who haven't tipped ourselves into a Tuscan villa by now, with or without appropriate shoe-wear, are left behind in a city taken hostage by tourists; everybody who knows where they're going has left. Like all great European cities, London is deserted by its own in August. There are advantages, however, to being left behind.

For example, open-air cinema has gone one better than the regal setting of Somerset House: it has gone mobile. We braved Victoria Tower Gardens, in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster, on Saturday night to watch The Talented Mr Ripley courtesy of The Nomad Pop-up cinema (www.whereisthenomad.com). A friendly gathering of groups and couples with the requisite picnics, rugs and waterproofs was rewarded for braving a brief squall of rain with a brilliantly orchestrated screening under the stars.

Nomad's London season features a series of cult and classic films in the Royal Parks, including Greenwich Park, Brompton Cemetery and Regent's Park. Country mice will be pleased to hear they aren't excluded: Nomad is screening Gosford Park at Walmer Castle in Kent on August 17, and Pirates of the Caribbean at Lulworth Castle tomorrow, to name just two.