Italy has inspired, produced, and been the setting of lots of incredible films throughout the decades. In fact, due to a particularly rich period in the 20th century when Italy produced, arguably, many of the best movies ever made, it is a perfect destination for serious cinephiles the world over. From, “The Bicycle Thieves,” to, “The Godfather,” to, “Cinema Paradiso,” to, “Life is Beautiful,” to, “Gladiator,” to “Call Me by Your Name,” the list of incredible films made or set in Italy is endless and, luckily, some of them even have backdrops and settings that can still be visited. So, if you're interested in a whistle-stop film industry virtual tour (for now and hopefully in person sometime soon!) of Italy, read on and discover the perfectly picturesque places in Italy that have graced the silver screen throughout the history of cinema...
Explore The Town From, “Call Me By Your Name.”
The movie, “Call Me By Your Name ,” was an immediate smash-hit success and sensation when it was released back in 2017. While the charisma of the two lead actors, the beautiful central love story, and the sense of nostalgia were key to its appeal so, too, was the setting. Adapted for the screen from a 2007 novel by André Aciman, the story is set in the summer of 1983 and follows American teen Elio while he summers with his family, who are joined that year by his father's grad student, Oliver, in their holiday home in Italy. The text on screen in the opening scenes states that is is ambiguously set, “Somewhere in Northern Italy,” but the movie was specifically shot primarily in Crema and the surrounding province of Cremona, in Lombardy. Crema is another important character in the film and the fact that it is not only a story of young love taking place over one magical summer, but is also happening while abroad in such a beautiful place makes the whole thing dreamier and more romantic.
The movie, “Call Me By Your Name ,” was an immediate smash-hit success and sensation when it was released back in 2017. While the charisma of the two lead actors, the beautiful central love story, and the sense of nostalgia were key to its appeal so, too, was the setting. Adapted for the screen from a 2007 novel by André Aciman, the story is set in the summer of 1983 and follows American teen Elio while he summers with his family, who are joined that year by his father's grad student, Oliver, in their holiday home in Italy. The text on screen in the opening scenes states that is is ambiguously set, “Somewhere in Northern Italy,” but the movie was specifically shot primarily in Crema and the surrounding province of Cremona, in Lombardy. Crema is another important character in the film and the fact that it is not only a story of young love taking place over one magical summer, but is also happening while abroad in such a beautiful place makes the whole thing dreamier and more romantic.
Just as Elio and Oliver fall in love, the viewer, too, falls in love with this stunning part of Italy. Since the release of this Oscar-winning modern-day classic, even more visitors have begun seeking the area out, particularly super-fans. Many find areas that featured in the film, going through it almost frame by frame. However, if you're not quite that dedicated, some particular highlights in and around Crema include the Piazza Duomo in which the two leads are seen reading on a visit into town (at a table that remains set out the same way for tourists), the Grottoes of Catullus in Sirmione on the Brescian shores of Lake Garda (about 45 minutes from Crema) where the archaeological dig that brought Oliver to Italy was taking place in the film, and the train station scenes filmed at Pizzighettone. There are many more spots to seek out and there are itineraries to follow for the more dedicated among you but just spending time in Crema, which served as a backdrop for so much of the film, is thrill enough as it really is the kind of picture-perfect place you could imagine having a cinematic first love over a summer's holiday in Italy...
Grab A Drink At The Sicilian Bar From, “The Godfather.”
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece, “The Godfather”, starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, is set in the 1940s and 1950s in both New York and Sicily and tells the story of the Corleone family. Based on the novel by Puzo, the original tale was set in the town Corleone, but when filming the town had changed too dramatically and had been modernised and expanded. It no longer resembled the rural setting of the book so the villages of Motta Camastra, Forza d’Agro, and Savoca were all used instead to evoke mid-century Sicily. One of the most recognisable filming locations from the movie that still exists today is the traditional Sicilian bar, Bar Vitelli, which is located in the 18th-century Palazzo Trimarchi di Savoca in the town of Savoca. It is here that, in one famous scene, Michael Corleone, son of the famous Don Vito, arrives with two companions.
Bar Vitelli, is a real and still-functioning business and remains pretty much the exact same to this day, with its vine-covered terrace and set within a lovely cobbled historic square. If you're a fan of the film, it is the ideal place to come, get a commemorative photo, try their famous granita di limoni (Coppola’s favourite), and relax.
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece, “The Godfather”, starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, is set in the 1940s and 1950s in both New York and Sicily and tells the story of the Corleone family. Based on the novel by Puzo, the original tale was set in the town Corleone, but when filming the town had changed too dramatically and had been modernised and expanded. It no longer resembled the rural setting of the book so the villages of Motta Camastra, Forza d’Agro, and Savoca were all used instead to evoke mid-century Sicily. One of the most recognisable filming locations from the movie that still exists today is the traditional Sicilian bar, Bar Vitelli, which is located in the 18th-century Palazzo Trimarchi di Savoca in the town of Savoca. It is here that, in one famous scene, Michael Corleone, son of the famous Don Vito, arrives with two companions.
Bar Vitelli, is a real and still-functioning business and remains pretty much the exact same to this day, with its vine-covered terrace and set within a lovely cobbled historic square. If you're a fan of the film, it is the ideal place to come, get a commemorative photo, try their famous granita di limoni (Coppola’s favourite), and relax.
Wander a Villa From Both The Bond And Star Wars Franchises
Villa del Balbianello is an 18th century villa that overlooks Lake Como and that was used as a filming site for two famous films: “Casino Royale,” and, “Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones”. Scenes from, “Casino Royale,” were filmed in front of, and inside, the villa, which acted as the setting of a hospital in which James Bond (as played by Daniel Craig) and Vesper (Eva Green) are recovering after being tortured and the place that a Swiss banker later comes to in order to get a code to transfer a large sum of money that is central to the plot of the film.
In, “Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones,” the villa is where Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) is placed to hide after a threat is made on her life. She and the young jedi, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) who is entrusted with her care fall in love despite their union being forbidden. The most famous scenes at the villa, which is altered using CGI to suit the aesthetics of the intergalactic adventure (though the view over the water and the terrace are left untouched), include the arrival of the two characters and their entourage at the dock behind the villa and the scene in which they stand on the terrace talking before Anakin kisses Padmé. Offering a lot of bang for your buck if you are a cinephile touring Italy as this incredibly beautiful villa was the setting of scenes from not one, but two, major film franchises, it is a must-see!
Villa del Balbianello is an 18th century villa that overlooks Lake Como and that was used as a filming site for two famous films: “Casino Royale,” and, “Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones”. Scenes from, “Casino Royale,” were filmed in front of, and inside, the villa, which acted as the setting of a hospital in which James Bond (as played by Daniel Craig) and Vesper (Eva Green) are recovering after being tortured and the place that a Swiss banker later comes to in order to get a code to transfer a large sum of money that is central to the plot of the film.
In, “Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones,” the villa is where Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) is placed to hide after a threat is made on her life. She and the young jedi, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) who is entrusted with her care fall in love despite their union being forbidden. The most famous scenes at the villa, which is altered using CGI to suit the aesthetics of the intergalactic adventure (though the view over the water and the terrace are left untouched), include the arrival of the two characters and their entourage at the dock behind the villa and the scene in which they stand on the terrace talking before Anakin kisses Padmé. Offering a lot of bang for your buck if you are a cinephile touring Italy as this incredibly beautiful villa was the setting of scenes from not one, but two, major film franchises, it is a must-see!
Discover Why “La Vita è Bella” (“Life is Beautiful”) In Arezzo.
Roberto Benigni's 1997 Oscar-winning masterpiece, “La Vita è Bella” tells the story of a Jewish Italian man named Guido Orefice, who meets and falls in love with the beautiful Dora, and their son, Giosue who are incredibly happy until their lives are turned upside down by Guido and Giosue being separated from Dora and taken to a concentration camp. To shelter his son from the horrors of his surroundings, Guido then weaves an elaborate story that their time in the camp is merely a game. While there were multiple sets, the centrepiece of the beginning of the film is the lovely Tuscan city of Arezzo. Key landmarks featured in the film include the Duomo and Palazzo della Provincia, which were background set pieces for a number of scenes; the Piazza del Duomo, itself, which is where the scene in which Guido lay out an endless red carpet for his "princess" to walk down the stairs took place; the Cartolibreria Orefice, which is the real store that served as the book shop that is owned by the protagonist in the film; and more. For lovers of this classic Italian gem, a wander around Arezzo will truly bring the film to life.
Roberto Benigni's 1997 Oscar-winning masterpiece, “La Vita è Bella” tells the story of a Jewish Italian man named Guido Orefice, who meets and falls in love with the beautiful Dora, and their son, Giosue who are incredibly happy until their lives are turned upside down by Guido and Giosue being separated from Dora and taken to a concentration camp. To shelter his son from the horrors of his surroundings, Guido then weaves an elaborate story that their time in the camp is merely a game. While there were multiple sets, the centrepiece of the beginning of the film is the lovely Tuscan city of Arezzo. Key landmarks featured in the film include the Duomo and Palazzo della Provincia, which were background set pieces for a number of scenes; the Piazza del Duomo, itself, which is where the scene in which Guido lay out an endless red carpet for his "princess" to walk down the stairs took place; the Cartolibreria Orefice, which is the real store that served as the book shop that is owned by the protagonist in the film; and more. For lovers of this classic Italian gem, a wander around Arezzo will truly bring the film to life.
Find Gladiators In The Orcia Valley
Finally, we can't forget Ridley Scott’s Academy-Award winning, "Gladiator", which was set in Ancient Rome but filmed in England, Morocco, and Malta, with two key scenes captured in the Orcia Valley in
Tuscany. This beautiful and serene landscape was where the scenes of the movie that work as a foil to the dramatic and violent events of the rest of the story were depicted, showing Maximus (Russell Crowe, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for the role) returning from war on horseback, only to discover that he has arrived too late to save his family and, in another scene, showing Maximus standing alone in a field of wheat, surrounded by soft light, quite literally in paradise. Looking at the great beauty of the Orcia Valley, it is no wonder the film-makers chose this as the idyllic home of Maximus and the paradise in which he eventually finds himself.
So, if you're interested in film and you ever find yourself in Italy, these are some of the key spots for any respectable cinephile to check out!
Finally, we can't forget Ridley Scott’s Academy-Award winning, "Gladiator", which was set in Ancient Rome but filmed in England, Morocco, and Malta, with two key scenes captured in the Orcia Valley in
Tuscany. This beautiful and serene landscape was where the scenes of the movie that work as a foil to the dramatic and violent events of the rest of the story were depicted, showing Maximus (Russell Crowe, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for the role) returning from war on horseback, only to discover that he has arrived too late to save his family and, in another scene, showing Maximus standing alone in a field of wheat, surrounded by soft light, quite literally in paradise. Looking at the great beauty of the Orcia Valley, it is no wonder the film-makers chose this as the idyllic home of Maximus and the paradise in which he eventually finds himself.
So, if you're interested in film and you ever find yourself in Italy, these are some of the key spots for any respectable cinephile to check out!
Photo credits
picture 2: Topher McCulloch / CC BY 2.0;
picture 3: MarkusMark / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 2: Topher McCulloch / CC BY 2.0;
picture 3: MarkusMark / CC BY-SA 3.0
