Movies filmed in Italy - to help you get a dose of the Bel Paese!

If you have been to Italy and are feeling nostalgic, or if you dream of going some day, a good way to get a dose of the Bel Paese is to watch a movie that was filmed on location. Considering the country’s scenic beauty, art, history and stunning architecture, it’s no small wonder there are so many to choose from. While not all are masterpieces, plenty are worth watching. 

Here are some suggestions for your Italy fix:

Suspense/Action/Adventure:

 

• The Talented Mr. Ripley (Anthony Minghella) 1999 -  starring Jude Law and Matt Damon - filmed in Naples, Rome, Amalfi Coast and Venice
• Angels and Demons (Ron Howard) 2009 - filmed in Rome 
• The Tourist (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck) 2010 - starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp - filmed in Venice
• Hannibal (Ridley Scott) 2000 - filmed in Florence
• The Gladiator (Ridley Scott) 2000 - filmed in Val d’Orcia and Siena (Tuscany)
• 007 Quantum of Solace (Marc Forster) 2008 - filmed in Siena, Carrara, Italian Alps and Lake Garda
• The American (Anton Corbikn) 2010-  starring George Clooney - filmed in Abruzzo

Comedy:

• Tea with Mussolini (Franco Zeffirelli) - starring Cher, Maggie Smith, Judy Dench - filmed in Florence
• Midsummer Night’s Dream (Michael Hoffman) - filmed in Pienza and Siena
• Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branaugh) 1993 - filmed in Chianti (Tuscany)
• When in Rome (Mark Steven Johnson) - 2010 - filmed in Rome

Drama:

• Life is Beautiful (Roberto Benigni) 1997 - Oscar-winner, not to be missed! - filmed in Arezzo
• The English Patient (Anthony Minghella) 1996 -  filmed in Arezzo and Siena
• The Portrait of a Lady (Jane Campion) 1996 - filmed in Lucca
• Stealing Beauty (Bernardo Bertolucci) 1996 - starring Liv Tyler - filmed in Tuscany
• Miracle at St. Anna (Spike Lee) 2008 - filmed in Stazzema (near Lucca) - Versilia (Tuscany)
• Shadows in the Sun (Brad Mirman) 2005 - Val d’Orcia and Siena
• Il Postino: The Postman (Michael Radford) 1994 - filmed in Sicily
• Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore) 1988 - filmed in Sicily
• Under the Tuscan Sun (Audrey Wells) 2003 - Cortona, Amalfi Coast
• Enchanted April (Mike Newell) 1992 - filmed in Portofino (Liguria)
• A Good Woman (Mike Barker) 2006 - starring Scarlett Johansson and Helen Hunt - filmed on the  Amalfi Coast
• Eat Pray and Love (Ryan Murphy) 2010 - filmed in Rome and Naples
• To Rome with Love (Woody Allen) 2012 - filmed in Rome
• The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Chris Weitz) 2010 - Montepulciano
• The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino) 2013 - Oscar-winner filmed in Rome
• Malèna (Giuseppe Tornatore) 2000 - filmed in Sicily
• Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica) 1948 - a masterpiece of Italian Neorealism, filmed in Rome

Romance:

• Roman Holiday (William Wyler) 1953 - the classic starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck - filmed in Rome, of course! 
• A Room with a View (James Ivory) 1985 - filmed in Florence
• La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini) 1960 - filmed in Rome
• Only You (Norma Jewison) 1994 - filmed in Rome, Venice, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast
• Letters to Juliet (Gary Winick) 2010 - Verona and Tuscany

Buona visione! 

Hopefully there is enough here to keep you busy until you come visit Italy (again)!