Expectations were high at last night's New York Premiere of To Rome With Love at The Paris Theatre. In January, Woody Allen won his first Best Director Oscar since Annie Hall in 1978, with his film Midnight in Paris—which followed a run of much-publicized flops during the early 2000s. Was the director nervous in following up the much-lauded Paris? "I never thought about it, because it was an accident that it was so successful," he explained.

The theme of the evening was, unsurprisingly, Rome and the wonders of Italy. "I hate the countryside," Allen told us when we pestered him for his favorite European city. "I feel automatically at home in New York, and I feel automatically Paris, but the other cities... I feel like I'm a visitor, but I like them. But if I never left Paris, that would be fine."

"Not if I died in Paris, or the reason I never left was death," Allen joked.

Following the screening, guests walked over to Casa Lever and were greeted by Italian-themed Disaronno cocktails (we rather like the "Trastevere Sour") and Woody Allen cupcakes.

Among the many guests were Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz, Greta Gerwig, Alessandra Mastronardi, Fabio Armiliato, Carol Alt, producers Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Helen Robin, Chris Rock, Woody Harrelson, Josh Lucas, Mariska Hargitay, Dianne Wiest, Debra Winger, Regis & Joy Philbin, Ralph Lauren, Dylan McDermott, Noah Baumbach, Paul Haggis, Kyle MacLachlan, Calvin Klein, Matthew Settle, Jemima Kirke, Adam Driver, and Albert Hammond, Jr.

For more on the screening of To Rome with Love, click here.