Top 10 movies that prove Italy’s a beautiful place – Titles will be enough to let you fall in love…
Our country has often been chosen as setting by both national and international directors. Some locations rose to fame, like South Italiy’s landscapes, while others (Trevi’s Fountain anyone?) had their glory re-affirmed. A list of movies and their unforgettable Italian locations. Continue reading clicking the below button Next >
10.The Gladiator
Simply a cult. Released in 2010 and starring Russel Crowe, it’s Ridley Scott’s most famous movie. A CGI Rome is the setting for the gladiator Massimo Meridio’s story. Notwithstanding Rome’s beauty, the scenes that moved the entire planet – the elysian fields/ Massimo’s home – were shot in Tuscany, in the country surrounding San Onirico, Pienza and Terrapille. Given the resulting becoming-a-cult of those scenes, Scott’s team did right in choosing a Tuscan hay field. Continue reading clicking the below button Next >
9.Ever Been to the Moon?
Director Paolo Genovese teamed up with actors Raul Bova, Neri Marcorè and Liz Solari to tell us the story of a 30 year old woman, Giulia, who suddenly inherits a farmhouse in Apulia, where she moves and finally finds the only thing she didn’t have yet: love. Filmed in 2015 between Martina Franca, Nardò and Galatina in a typical Apulian farmhouse located in Lupoli, nearby Crispiano. Continue reading clicking the below button Next >
8.I Knew Her Well
Listed in the Top 100 Must-See Italian movies, this 1965 jewel was directed by Antonio Pietrangeli and starred a young Stefania Sandrelli. The movie is set in Rome and its province. Adriana is a young woman from the suburbs with a fascination for the showbiz; trying to get in, she will meet a series of men that will only lead her to a sorry end. Looking closely at some of the frames, you will be able to recognize a street leading to Navona Square, Santa Maria della Pace Church’s cupola and Fori Italici, all of these locations being in Rome. The rest of the movie was shot in Viterbo, Orvieto and Terni – the latter being the set of the swimming pool scene. Continue reading clicking the below button Next >
7.Amarcord
Shot in 1975, it is Fellini’s most famous movie and a ode to his city Rimini, specifically the neighborhood he grew up in, San Giuliano. The actor Bruno Zanin stars as Titta, Fellini’s cinematographic alter-ego. A m’arcord, Yes, I remember, has become a full-fledged phrase in Italian, used to evoke a sense of nostalgia when speaking bout one’s childhood – which is also what this movie is about. Continue reading clicking the below button Next >
6.Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Vittorio De Sica’s 1963 movie was filmed in three very different locations being each the setting for a different story. What do Naples, Milan and Rome have in common? A stunning Sophia Loren who plays three women, all fiercely unique. Adelina is a peddler and her story develops in Naples’ alleyways. Mara is a prostitute and she owns an attic with a view on Navona Square in Rome, her neighbor is an old lady whose grandson is Umberto, a seminarian. Multiple shots of the square highlight its beauty.
Anna is a rich married woman and she’s driving through Milan (this is how the watcher gets to see the Cathedral, Repubblica Square, The Scala, Manzoni Street and Cavour Square) to reach her lover. The bourgeois point of view was quite topical during the 60’s in Italy. Continue reading clicking the below button Next >
This time, Tuscany is the protagonist. It’s 1962 and Dino Risi directs Vittorio Gassman (Bruno in the movie) and Jean-Louis Tritignant (as Roberto): the two friends have to drive all the way from Rome to Castiglioncello. Their joie de vivre and their eagerness to go on an adventure is a proof of Italy’s good living during the 60’s. Thanks to this movie Castiglioncello’s beach has become a must for tourists and stars like Sordi and Mastroianni. Continue reading clicking the below button Next >
4.Respiro- Breath
3.Eat, Pray, Love
Ryan Murphy’s 2010 movie belongs to the comedy genre; starring Julia Roberts as Elizabeth, a woman sick of the routine she’s trapped in, she goes on a world trip to find herself. New York, India, Indonesia and finally Italy with Rome and Naples. Liz’s adventure starts in Rome, between unforgettable shots of Navona Square, Trevi’s Fountain and Campo de’ Fiori, Piazza di Spagna and Villa Borghese. We watch Liz dining at “Vecchio Orso” restaurant in Giglio d’Oro Street and buying an ice-cream from “San Crispino” , in the heart of Rome. Naples’ scenes were mostly filmed in Forcella area (also used by De Sica in Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) where Liz obviously eats a pizza at “L’antica Pizzeria da Michele”, one of Naple’s best pizzerie. Continue reading clicking the below button Next >
2.La Dolce Vita (Welcome to the South)
1.Benvenuti al Sud
Both a sequel (of Welcome to the North) and a remake (of the French movie Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis), it was directed by Luca Miniero and released in 2010. Paolo Bisio plays the role of the main character Alberto, senior manager of a post office in Brianza (North Italy) who pretends having a grave disability in order to get a relocation. Unfortunately for him, his superiors spot the deception and he is sent in exile in a little town in Cilento, South Italy. The majority of scenes take place in the little square in front of Alberto’s new post office – in reality this square hosts a nice tiny bar called “La Piazzetta”. Filming took place in Cilento National Park, more specifically in the towns of Castellabate (nearby Salerno), San Marco and Santa Maria. Castellabate is Cilento’s main tourist attraction.
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