A Prime Location
Whether you’ve been to Italy and can’t wait to return, or you’ve never been and want to get a glimpse of what all the fuss is about, there are countless films set in Italy you can watch and enjoy. Let’s review the best films set in one of the biggest tourist destinations—and filming locations—in the world.
When In Rome (2010)
A trip to Rome for a wedding is one of the basic ingredients of this romantic comedy starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. A scene in the Trevi Fountain is a highlight of the film directed by Mark David Johnson.
Touchstone, When In Rome (2010)
Love In The Villa (2022)
Kat Graham and Tom Hopper star in this lighthearted romantic comedy about a pair of tourists who have double-booked accommodations in the Italian city of Verona. The Netflix production was directed by Mark David Johnson.
Netflix, Love In The Villa (2022)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Why insert a scene set in Venice into a film about Spider-Man? Well, they had the budget for it, so why not? Aside from the confrontation with Mysterio, there are some lovely street and gondola scenes to savor before the mayhem erupts.
Columbia, Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Letters To Juliet (2010)
A romantic getaway to the beautiful Italian city of Verona, the discovery of a long-lost letter, and the quest to track down its writer are the basic ingredients of this light but amusing romantic comedy starring Amanda Seyfried and Christopher Egan, with a notable supporting performance by Vanessa Redgrave.
Summit Entertainment, Letters To Juliet (2010)
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Luca Guadagnino directed this film set in and around numerous locations in Lombardy. About an American teenager discovering himself while living in a 17th-century villa in the early 80s, the film enjoys a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Frenesy Film Company, Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Angels And Demons (2009)
Banking on the popularity of Dan Brown’s smash hit novel about the Italian Renaissance, this feature starring Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor was filmed in and around Rome. Critics reviewed the Ron Howard-directed film as a step up from its predecessor, The Da Vinci Code (2006).
Columbia, Angels And Demons (2009)
Quantum Of Solace (2008)
The Palio di Siena horse race is the background of an intense chase scene in this action-packed instalment of the James Bond series that starred Daniel Craig in the title role. Additional scenes were shot in Maratea and the abandoned hill town of Craco.
The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)
This film by Anthony Minghella, shot on the colorful Amalfi coast, had the perfect setting and cast for a successful romantic comedy, but The Talented Mr Ripley is anything but romantic. With Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and in another of his great supporting roles, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Miramax, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
The Tourist (2010)
Head back to Venice with this thriller starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Along with all the canal scenes, some locations you may recognize include the Piazza San Marco and Rialto Market.
The Italian Job (1969)
This classic film about an armored car robbery starred Michael Caine, and was filmed partially in and around Turin. The film gives a glimpse of one of the less popular tourist destinations in Italy, and features a great car chase scene. It was so popular it was remade in 2003.
Oakhurst Productions, The Italian Job (1969)
The Italian Job (2003)
More of a nod to the greatness of the original The Italian Job (1969), this was a true remake with a totally different plot and a scene shift from Turin to Venice, but it still included the obligatory scene shot in Piazza San Marco, and a boat chase through the canals. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham, and Donald Sutherland.
Paramount, The Italian Job (2003)
Tea With Mussolini (1999)
Florence and the tourist day-trip town of San Gimignano are the backdrop of this film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, set during the WWII era. Starring Cher, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, and Lily Tomlin.
Medusa Film, Tea With Mussolini (1999)
When In Rome (2002)
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen starred in this movie about the twins going to Rome for a summer internship. While perhaps not as memorable as some of the other films on this list, the many shots of the Colosseum provide an enjoyable setting.
Dualstar Productions, When in Rome (2002)
New Moon (2009)
The Twilight saga comes to Italy in this second chapter in the franchise. Filmed in and around the beautiful Renaissance-era hill town of Montepulciano in southern Tuscany, the film was a major box office success.
Temple Hill Entertainment, The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
Teen fun abounds in this Disney film starring Hilary Duff on a high school graduation trip to Rome. The Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, and Spanish Steps are all featured.
Walt Disney, The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
Under The Tuscan Sun (2003)
This adaptation of Frances Mayes’ travel memoir of self-discovery while renovating an old house in Tuscany has become a cinematic staple for lovers of Italian culture. Diane Lane stars in this celebration of Italian landscape and cuisine.
Touchstone, Under The Tuscan Sun (2003)
A Room With A View (1985)
Daniel Day-Lewis and Helena Bonham Carter starred in this Merchant-Ivory production set in Florence. The Piazza della Signoria figures prominently, with lots of great shots of the city skyline.
Goldcrest Films International, A Room With A View (1985)
Roman Holidays (1953)
Audrey Hepburn won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a wide-eyed newcomer to Rome, co-starring with tour guide and romantic interest Gregory Peck. The principal Roman tourist sights are all here as well.
Paramount, Roman Holiday (1953)
La Dolce Vita (1960)
This classic (in English, “The Sweet Life”) by Italian master Federico Fellini features a memorable scene involving Anita Ekberg and the Trevi Fountain. Other sites include the Colosseum and Via Veneto in a great look at early postwar Italy. Watch with subtitles and learn some Italian words!
Riama Film, La Dolce Vita (1960)
La Grande Belleza (2013)
Called “The Great Beauty” in English, this film directed by Paolo Sorrentino swept the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Filmed in and around Rome, the film is often favorably compared to La Dolce Vita.
Medusa Film, The Great Beauty (2013)
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Roberto Benigni directed and starred in this film about maintaining hope and love through the darkest events in human history. The exuberant Benigni’s film was shot around the picturesque countryside of Umbria and Tuscany, capturing the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1999.
Melampo Cinematografica, Life Is Beautiful (1997)
To Rome With Love (2012)
Several stories set in Rome are the backbone of this Woody Allen film that featured Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, and Penelope Cruz. An average film made more enjoyable by its Italian scenery.
Medusa Film, To Rome With Love (2012)
The Godfather (1972)
It’s hard to make a list of movies about Italy without mentioning The Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola insisted that the Italian scenes of his mobster opus be filmed on location. The film features a memorable wedding sequence shot in Sicily involving Michael Corleone (Al Pacino).
Paramount, The Godfather (1972)
Enchanted April (1991)
Four British women on a vacation to Italy are the basic ingredients of this comedy, showing there’s nothing like a trip to Italy to lift the spirits. Shot on location at Castello Brown in the Italian Riviera town of Portofino.
Miramax, Enchanted April (1991)
Pane E Tulipani (2000)
Directed by Silvio Soldini, this film (in English “Bread and Tulips”) features Licia Maglietta as a disenchanted middle-aged woman from southern Italy who takes off to Venice. Adventure, friendship, and romance ensues!
Rai Cinema, Pane E Tulipani (2000)
The Trip To Italy (2014)
Two friends go on a tour around Italy, sampling the best of the country’s cuisine, wine, and general ambience. If you like Italy, you don’t need much more of a premise than that, and this film proves it. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play the main characters, providing plenty of amusing and thoughtful moments along the way.
Gladiator (2000)
Director Ridley Scott takes us on a journey to the heart of imperial Rome that brings the Eternal City to life. Fantastic cinematography and the final performance in the life of Oliver Reed were highlights, along with Russell Crowe’s acting.
Journey To Italy (1954)
A somewhat darker tale than many of the more romantic entries on our list, this film involves a married couple selling a villa in Naples. Starring Ingrid Bergman, and directed by husband Roberto Rossellini, it offers a nice look at the areas around Pompeii and the Amalfi coast.
Italia Film, Journey To Italy (1954)
House Of Gucci (2021)
More a focus on the Gucci family goings-on than a sweeping look at iconic Italian locales, this film directed by Ridley Scott still has some great Italian scenery. Locations featured include Lake Como, and Rome’s Via Condotti.
Only You (1994)
A romantic comedy that has flown under the radar over the years, Only You features Robert Downey Jr and Marisa Tomei on an Italian tour. Locations hit the main locations in Italy that visitors love most: Rome, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, and Venice.
The Two Popes (2019)
If 2024’s Conclave didn’t satisfy your curiosity about life and goings-on in the Vatican, check out this film starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as Popes Benedict XVI and Francis, respectively. A great look at an essential institution of Italy.
The American (2010)
This slow-paced, brooding thriller directed by Anton Corbijn stars George Clooney as a contract killer residing in the beautiful Italian hill town. The film was shot at a series of locations in and around the charming hill towns of Abruzzo.
Focus Features, The American (2010)
Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
A showcase of the cuisine, landscape, and culture of Italy, this film starring Julia Roberts follows the journey of a divorced woman to a renewed love of life. Rome, Naples, and the seldom-seen southern town of Lecce provide the inviting backdrop.
Columbia, Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
Summertime (1955)
This romance starring Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi is a wonderful showcase of Venice directed by the incomparable David Lean. The Technicolor masterpiece was Lean’s personal favorite of all the films he did, a tremendous compliment. Don’t pass this one by!
London Film Productions, Summertime (1955)
È Stata La Mano Di Dio (2021)
This Italian-made feature (in English: Hand of God) directed by Paolo Sorrentino is a coming-of-age story of Sorrentino’s own life. Shot on location around Naples, it is a showcase of that city. The respected film was nominated for BAFTA and the Academy’s best foreign language categories.
Netflix, È Stata La Mano Di Dio (2021)
Ladri Di Biciclette (1948)
This gritty masterpiece (in English: Bicycle Thieves) by Vittorio de Sica showed a far different side of Italy. If you want to see what Rome looked like in the immediate aftermath of WWII while also watching an outstanding film, check it out.
Produzioni De Sica, Ladri Di Biciclette (1948)
Roma (1972)
It doesn’t get more Italian than Fellini making a film about Rome. Roma is a wonderful sequence of unusual scenes from around the great city. The great Anna Magnani puts in an appearance playing herself in what would turn out to be her last film credit.
Don’t Look Now (1973)
While the preceding films all celebrate the romance, adventure, or beauty of the Italian civilization, Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now turns that idea on its head. Starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as a married couple in Venice, what should be a memorable romantic getaway turns into a psychological descent into the dark unknown, and one of the most shocking endings ever captured on film. See it!
Casey Productions, Don’t Look Now (1973)
There’s Plenty More Where That Came From
Our list is only a start for those who want to explore Italy on film. There are many other great films and filmmakers from the past and present who continue to enchant us with visions of the fascinating land of Italy.
