Are you interested to visit some famous movie locations in Rome?
Don’t decide where to go in the Italian capital without reading this article! We have listed places and landmarks that you’ll surely love to see if you find out that a great movie was once shot there.
But before that, you should check out the cool and unusual things to do in Rome. Also check out the best restaurants in the city.
Rome is one of the most wonderful cities in the world, so movie directors from all over the world choose its beautiful fountains, squares, and streets as the settings for their films.
Some moviemakers go even further and make Rome the main character in their stories. One of the most fantastic things to do in Rome is to find places where famous movies have been shot.
If you want to take a Vespa around Rome like Audrey Hepburn did in Roman Holiday or eat ice cream in Piazza Navona like Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love, you can do so at these famous film locations in Rome.
13 Famous Movie Locations in Rome
Some of these famous movie locations in Rome are popular spots and well-known landmarks that moviegoers will know about immediately. Here they are.
1. Colosseum
Famous movies shot here: Roman Holiday (1952), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), The Fall (2006), Jumper (2008), To Rome with Love (2012), Spectre (2015)
The Colosseum isn’t just a popular tourist attraction for being one of the wonders of the world, but also a famous location for movie shoots. This iconic landmark is so popular that you can see it appearing in movies produced worldwide.
But no, the 2000 film Gladiator was not filmed here. Instead, the Academy Award winning movie starring Russel Crowe instead created a life-sized replica of the Colosseum in Malta.
The Colosseum in Rome was built primarily to showcase gladiator fights, which sometimes included elephants and tigers, in order to entertain the public and boost the emperor’s popularity. Several earthquakes in the Middle Ages ruined a large portion of the Colosseum. While popes and others in later centuries extracted the ruins for stones to use in the construction of churches and palaces.
The Colosseum is located on the square named after itself, 1, 00184 Rome RM, Italy. We have an article you should read if you want to know some fun facts about the Colosseum!
2. Trevi Fountain
Famous movies shot here: The Roman Holiday (1953), Three Coins in the Fountain (1954), La Dolce Vita (1960), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
The magnificent Trevi Fountain has appeared in several films. It is considered one of the world’s most beautiful Baroque fountains and one of the most famous movie locations in Rome.
Sylvia (Anita Ekberg) and Marcello (Marcello Mastroianni) are seen splashing around in the fountain in La Dolce Vita. The fountain became even more famous due to this scene in the film.
The fountain is featured in the classic and well-known films The Roman Holiday and Three Coins in the Fountain. It’s also the location where Lizzie (Hilary Duff) and Gordo (Adam Lamberg) made their wishes in The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Rome RM, Italy, is where you’ll find this fountain. You, too, can make a wish with your coins. All coins tossed into the fountain are donated to charity.
3. The Spanish Steps
Famous movies shot here: Roman Holiday (1953), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), To Rome with Love (2012)
Who wouldn’t know about the Spanish steps? The Spanish Steps, with its 138 steps, is Europe’s longest and widest stairway.
This iconic film location in Rome became even more well-known through film, appearing several times in the award-winning The Talented Mr. Ripley.
In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) meets the wealthy heiress and introduces himself as someone else, and his problems begin.
Other films have featured the iconic, butterfly-shaped 18th-century Spanish Steps. The most notable ones include Roman Holiday, where Audrey Hepburn’s character is shown eating Italian ice cream while sitting on the steps. In Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love, Hayley (Alison Pill) and Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti) meet on the Spanish Steps.
The address of this iconic movie location is Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Rome RM, Italy.
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4. The Mouth of Truth
Famous movie shot here: Roman Holiday (1953)
The Mouth of Truth (Italian: Bocca della Verità) became a world-famous attraction thanks to the film Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn. It is also one of the most iconic film locations in Rome.
This ancient marble mask can be found outside the Saint Mary Basilica in Cosmedin.
According to legend, the Mouth of Truth will bite and swallow any liar who inserts their hand into the stone orifice. In the classic film, the male protagonist (Gregory Peck) tells Hepburn’s character this story. It is a pivotal scene in the movie because both characters are initially dishonest with each other.
The Mouth of Truth can be found at its namesake piazza, on 18, 00186 Rome RM, Italy.
5. Piazza Navona
Famous movie shot here: Eat, Pray, Love (2010), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
The Piazza Navona is considered one of the most attractive squares in Rome. Great examples of Baroque architecture can be found here such as the well-known Fountain of the Four Rivers. The bench in front of the Sant’Agnese in Agone church can also be found in this location.
The main character in the movie Eat, Pray, Love is seen sitting and eating an ice cream cone on this bench at one point. Why don’t you indulge in authentic Italian gelato like Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts)?
Piazza Navona is also one of John Wick 2 filming locations. In the movie, we see John Wick walking through this famous square and entering the Antica Libreria Cascianelli, a historical antique bookshop that has been standing at 15 Largo Febo since 1837.
Have a seat and admire the urban masterpieces in the historic center of the City of Seven Hills!
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6. Fontana dell’Acqua Paola
Famous movie shot here: La Grande Bellezza (2013)
The Fontana dell’Acqua Paola appears in the opening scene of Paolo Sorrentino’s Academy Award-winning drama/comedy La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty).
The ornate white fountain with pink stone columns can be found on the Eternal City’s highest hill. It was built in 1612 to commemorate the restoration of a 2nd-century aqueduct that supplied water from a lake 35 kilometers north of Rome.
La Grande Bellezza begins with a scene in which an Asian tourist dies in front of this magnificent fountain, most likely due to the power of its beauty.
Definitely one of the most iconic movie locations in Rome, the fountain is also among its most evocative places and a great spot to look out over the city, especially in the evening when it is lit up.
Fontana dell’Acqua Paola’s address is Via Garibaldi, 00153 Rome RM, Italy
7. Piazza di Pietra
Famous movie shot here: The Eclipse (1962)
Piazza di Pietra is a charming little square in Rome that is well-known for the ancient ruins of Hadrian’s Temple, where the surviving colonnade consisting of 11 columns can be seen.
The Eclipse (Italian: L’Eclisse), a film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, includes the location in one of its scenes.
After splitting up with her boyfriend when she saw Piero (Alain Delon) whom she then falls in love with, the pretty and melancholy Vittoria (Monica Vitti), is feeling sad and lonely so she goes for a walk on the Piazza di Pietra.
In the evening, you will fully appreciate the square and relive the romance it once held. You can take a sit at one of the bars and watch a light and audio show projected onto the temple’s magnificent columns. The show is meant to represent the temple’s extensive history.
8. Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo
Famous movie shot here: Angels and Demons (2009)
The Basilica Parrocchiale Santa Maria del Popolo (Basilica Parrocchiale Santa Maria del Popolo) is a small church close to the northern gate of the Aurelian Wall. Its exterior is stunning and the interiors exquisitely decorated.
It can be seen in the film Angels and Demons when Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and Vittoria (Ayelet Zurer) go to the square to look for the cardinals and find their first clue and the first dead cardinal.
Because the basilica was inaccessible to the filmmakers, the church’s crypt was recreated in a studio. In contrast to the production, you can visit the actual church and admire the works of famous artists such as Raphael, Caravaggio, and Bernini.
9. Trastevere
Famous movies shot here: Eat, Pray, Love (2010), To Rome With Love (2012), Spectre (2015)
Trastevere is in the south of the Vatican, on the opposite bank of the Tiber River. It is referred to as the heart of Rome and has appeared a lot of times in movies in Rome and internationally.
The bohemian atmosphere in the streets of Trastevere is perfect for movie sets and will definitely give the trendy and real feel of a neighborhood.
If you’ve watched the movies Eat, Pray, Love and To Rome with Love, you have seen Trastevere. This picturesque neighborhood is featured in the James Bond film Spectre as well.
10. Piazza Della Rotonda
Famous movie shot here: Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
The Pantheon, a temple built by the Romans, has stood tall to the south of Piazza Della Rotonda since ancient times. The plaza is one of the best-preserved parts of Ancient Rome.
It is shown in Ocean’s Twelve, a clever heist movie directed by Steven Soderbergh. This is where Isabel (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Rusty (Brad Pitt) first meet. They are both sitting in a café in front of the Pantheon. She knows him because the police are after him.
Don’t skip stopping by one of the cafés near the Pantheon for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. It’s one of the must-do activities when in the area.
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11. Cinecittà Studios
Famous movies shot here: La Dolce Vita (1960), Cleopatra (1963), Gangs of New York (2002), The English Patient (1996), The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Cinecittà Studios, known as “Hollywood on the Tiber,” is Europe’s largest film studio. Since 1937, the studio has produced over 3,000 films, including at least 51 Academy Award winners.
Since 2011, the studios have been open to the public. Here you’ll find incredible outdoor sets, historic buildings, and themed exhibitions. You could easily spend an entire day here learning more about both past masterpieces and more recent productions.
Individual and family visits must be scheduled in advance. This studio is located at Via Tuscolana, 1055, 00173 Rome RM, Italy.
12. Pigneto
Famous movie shot here: Accattone (1961)
Pigneto is a trendy neighborhood in Rome that is popular among young locals. Here you can spend time at open-air lounges and upscale restaurants.
However, this was not always the case. Pigneto, far from the ancient ruins, was once a desolate slum. It was here that Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini shot Accatone, a drama about impoverished postwar Italians.
The Bar Necci is featured in the film, where Vittorio “Accattone” Cataldi (Franco Citti) meets Stella (Franca Pasut), a girl he attempts to turn into a prostitute. The film’s subject matter was scandalous at the time.
More information is available at Bar Necci, which still sells photographs and books by Pasolini, who lived above the bar during the filming.
You can find Pigneto place at Via Fanfulla da Lodi, 68, 00176 Rome RM, Italy.
13. Vatican City
Famous movies shot here: John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), Angels and Demons (2009)
While officially not part of the Italian capital (or Italy at that), Vatican City is geographically located within the city of Rome.
This micro-nation is featured many times in different films. It’s undoubtedly spectacular, especially whenever you’ll have a glimpse of the ancient architecture of the St. Peter’s Basilica.
One of those famous movies shot here that showcases the city’s beauty that everyone might know about is the adaptation of the intriguing Dan Brown novel, Angels and Demons.
John Wick: Chapter 2 was shot in some of the greatest filming locations such as New York City, Montreal, and the Vatican City. In the latter, John Wick is shown atop the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali in Piazza Venezia. A view of the Vatican’s iconic Altare della Patria is also seen in the movie.
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