Watching certain movies can ignite the wanderlust in you. It’s like a trigger to grab those dusty travel guides, hop onto the Internet, and get busy planning your next adventure. Time to make those travel dreams a reality! But you know what’s crazy? The best travel movies aren’t always about travel at all – as you’re about to find out here.
Many directors have found inspiration in Italy’s rich history, art, and culture, producing films that are both visually spectacular and emotionally engaging. Filmmakers continue to find inspiration in Italy’s picturesque landscapes, whether it is the romantic canals of Venice, the lush hills of Tuscany, or the ancient ruins of Rome.
Planning a trip to Italy and wondering where to go? Sit back and relax because we have listed some famous movies filmed in il Bel Paese and their locations.
14 Famous Movies Filmed in Italy
Here are 14 famous movies that’ll transport you to the beautiful Italy.
1. Wonder Woman (2017)
Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, and Robin Wright, Wonder Woman is an American superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins. This one is among the most famous movies filmed in Italy.
Most of the outdoor scenes of the fictional Themyscira were filmed in the south of Italy. While the island that Princess Diana calls home required a lot of CGI work, it was based on the Cilento Coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, served as the location for the city of the Amazons. The movie also used the small valley near Matera as a filming location for the training and fighting scenes of the Amazons.
And do you remember the scene where Queen Hippolyta gazes out over the ocean? Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, a beautiful manor and gardens perched above the Amalfi Coast, served as its location.
2. House of Gucci (2021)
Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, and Jared Leto, features the Aosta Valley, Villa Balbiano, Via Condotti, Rome, and Santa Maria in Campitelli. This modern crime drama film about a lavish family saga is one of the great movies shot in Italy, given that it earned an Oscar nomination.
Villa Balbiano is the setting for patriarch Aldo Gucci’s palazzo, which is furnished with historical artifacts and decorated with period trompe-l’oeil frescoes by the Recchi brothers and Agostino Silva.
Via Condotti in Rome is home to luxury-label flagship stores from Dior to Hermès, Gucci, Valentino, Armani, and other luxury fashion brands.
Villa Necchi-Campiglio in Milan is featured in the film as well as the home of Rodolfo Gucci, Maurizio’s father, as is Santa Maria in Campitelli, a Baroque church on the Piazza di Campitelli in Rome, where Maurizio and Patrizia’s wedding is held.
3. The Hand of God (2021)
The Hand of God is an amazing masterpiece and one of the best movies set in Italy. It has earned many nominations, including the Academy Award for Best International Film in 2022.
The story takes place in Naples in the 1980s, where awkward teen Fabietto Schisa is having a tough time fitting in. He travels around his native city searching for love, friendship, happiness, and himself. Things take an unexpected turn when he’s miraculously saved from a freak accident by none other than football legend Diego Maradona. Cue the heartbreak and liberation as this teenager’s life transforms before your eyes.
The Hand of God was set and shot in Naples, the regional capital of Campania and Italy’s third-largest city. The film includes shots of some well-known city landmarks. For example, across from the Galleria Umberto I at Via San Carlo, Saverio Schisa tells his son about the first time he saw Maria, the woman who would become his wife.
Scenes were also shot in Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples’ main square. Other scenes were shot on the island of Stromboli, Sorrento Peninsula, and Roccaraso – one of Italy’s popular skiing destinations.
4. A Bigger Splash (2015)
Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash is a psychological drama film that follows the character played by Tilda Swinton, a rock star who is chilling on a Sicilian island with her lover. Out of the blue, her old flame – played by Ralph Fiennes – shows up with his seductive daughter (Dakota Johnson).
Pantelleria, an Italian volcanic island between Sicily and Tunisia, served as the primary location for filming A Bigger Splash. Tenuta Borgia, one of the island’s most luxurious resorts set in a vast Mediterranean park, provided the backdrop for the swimming pool scenes. Lago di Venere is a volcanic lake in the northwest corner of the island, and in the movie we see the couple taking a mud bath there to unwind.
Some scenes were also shot at Laghetto delle Ondine, a natural pool that gets filled up by the waves when the sea is rough.
5. Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, and Michael Stuhlbarg feature in the romantic drama film Call Me by Your Name, which was directed by Luca Guadagnino. It’s an adaptation of the book of the same title – which we higly recommed you read, by the way.
The northwest Italian region of Lombardy was chosen as the primary location for filming Call Me by Your Name. The main setting is the Villa Albergoni which is found near Moscazzano, just south of Crema, while the guys initially cross paths at Crema’s renowned Piazza del Duomo.
Scenes involving swimming were filmed at Fontanile Quarantina, a natural reserve not far from Capralba. There were also scenes filmed at the Cascate del Serio (Serio Falls) and an ancient dig in Sirmione, Italy.
6. The Great Beauty (2013)
The Great Beauty is a Paolo Sorrentino-directed Italian art drama film starring Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, and Sabrina Ferilli.
Location filming in and around Rome provided many iconic images for the movie. The Janiculum Hill, close to the church of San Pietro in Montorio, boasts the magnificent Fontana dell’Acqua Paola.
There is also this scene where a young girl runs away from her mother inside the small Tempietto of San Pietro house in the church’s courtyard.
Other famous locations featured in the movie include the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, which houses the “Hole of Rome,” the Capitolium, and the Colosseum.
The Great Beauty is one of the most evocative movies filmed in Italy, a must-watch if you still haven’t!
7. Don’t Look Now (1973)
Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie, and Hilary Mason star in the Nicolas Roeg thriller movie Don’t Look Now. The movie is about the Baxters, John (Sutherland) and Laura (Christie) who are grieving for their daughter’s death when they travel to Venice so that John might restore a historic cathedral there.
The majority of the filming for Don’t Look Now took place in Italy. John and Laura’s “Europe Hotel” in Venice is actually Hotel Gabrielli. It is a beautiful hotel located on the famous Riva degli Schiavoni.
In the film, the sisters stay in the Hotel La Fenice et Des Artistes, which is located in the same Italian city as the world-famous Fenice Opera House. The Bauer Palazzo, a different local hotel, served as the set for the interior scenes, while the San Stae Church was the location for the funeral scenes.
8. Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Roberto Benigni appears in and directs the comedy-drama Life Is Beautiful, called La vita è bella in Italian. Rubino Romeo Salmon’s book In the End, I Beat Hitler served as the inspiration for the movie.
In this heartwarming film, we meet the sweet Jewish-Italian waiter named Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni), who crosses paths with a beautiful schoolteacher called Dora (played by Italian actress Nicoletta Braschi) and wins her heart. They get married and start a happy family, but their happiness takes a tragic turn when Guido and his son are separated from Dora and taken to a concentration camp.
A large portion of Life Is Beautiful was filmed in the city and commune of Arezzo in Tuscany. The historic abbey of Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla in Arezzo is the setting for the iconic scene in which Roberto Benigni’s character crashes his bike.
When making the film, the set designers turned an abandoned factory into a German labor camp. This plant is situated close to the Italian town of Papigno, which is part of the municipality of Terni.
9. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley is an American psychological thriller film starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Aside from the opening scenes, The Talented Mr. Ripley was entirely shot in Italy, making it one of the best films set in Italy of all time. The story is set in the fictitious resort of “Mongibello.”
These scenes were shot on two islands: Ischia, the largest of the three volcanic islands in the Bay of Naples; and Procida, its smaller neighbor. The film also includes scenes from the Aragonese Castle. It is a medieval castle on the northern tip of the Gulf of Naples.
The Talented Mr. Ripley tells the story of a young American named Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) who doesn’t really have his act together. He ends up going to Italy for a pretty strange mission – and that is to persuade a rich man’s wayward son to come back home. Once Tom sets foot in Europe, things take a dark turn…
10. The Pink Panther (1963)
The Pink Panther is a comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, the first in The Pink Panther series, although the others are not set in Italy.
The film follows Sir Charles Lytton, a dashing European thief played by David Niven, who has his eyes set his on stealing a legendary diamond called the “Pink Panther.” But here’s the twist: he’s not the only one eyeing that precious gem. His own nephew, George (Robert Wagner), has his own plans to snatch the diamond and pin the crime on his dear uncle.
The Pink Panther is a thrilling tale of theft, deceit, and a lot of comedic mishaps. It was shot in Italy, primarily in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a mountain resort in the Italian Alps known for the beauty of its landscapes, heritage, and numerous sporting activities.
The nearby Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel is also visible in the film. The car chase scenes were shot outside Rocca di Papa, a small town and commune in the Lazio region, within the Metropolitan City of Rome.
11. Letters to Juliet (2010)
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet takes place in the city of Verona, in Northern Italy, between Milan and Venice. It serves as the ideal setting for this film.
Letters to Juliet stars Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, and Christopher Egan in the main roles. Amanda Seyfried portrays the lead character, Sophie, while Vanessa Redgrave plays the role of Claire, an older woman searching for her lost love. Christopher Egan portrays the character of Charlie, Sophie’s love interest.
This romantic comedy centers on the actual wall in Verona, where people have been known to leave love letters. It is widely believed that Shakespeare drew inspiration from this location when writing the famous balcony scene in which Romeo and Juliet declare their love for one another.
12. Roman Holiday (1953)
Roman Holiday is a timeless romantic comedy featuring Audrey Hepburn as a European princess who takes a holiday in Rome. The story centers on the princess’ adventures in the Eternal City.
The film was actually shot at the legendary Cinecittà Studios in Rome and in various captivating locations throughout the city. It took place during the great era known as “Hollywood on the Tiber.”
This movie is renowned for its use of the well-known Spanish Steps as a setting, and it is also primarily responsible for the enormous success of the Mouth of Truth.
- Must-read: 13 Famous Movie Locations in Rome, Italy
13. The Tourist (2010)
The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, gives us a mix of romance, intrigue, and a thrilling chase through the beautiful Floating City of Venice.
The movie is about a woman named Elise Clifton-Ward (played by Jolie). She’s involved with a guy named Alexander Pearce, who’s on the run from the police. Elise is given the task of throwing the police off Pearce’s trail by leading them on a wild chase across Europe.
Elise heads to Venice to find an innocent man and make the police believe that he’s actually Pearce. Enter Frank Tupelo (played by Johnny Depp), an American tourist who’s in Italy trying to heal his broken heart, completely unaware of the whole crazy situation he’s about to get caught up in.
This movie takes us on a tour of some iconic spots in Venice – from the grand Santa Lucia Station to the luxurious Hotel Danieli and the Rialto Market.
14. Angels & Demons (2009)
Angels & Demons is a rather controversial flick, causing such a global commotion. And there were even calls for boycotts! The film stirred things up among church leaders and followers all across the globe, who couldn’t handle the idea that Jesus might have been married and had kids. And not only that, they portrayed Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic group, as a bunch of murderous cultists.
Starring no less than Tom Hanks, Angels & Demons is the sequel to the equally thrilling (and no less controversial!) The DaVinci Code, both based on Dan Brown’s bestselling books. Angels & Demons is like a VIP tour of Rome, so if you’re into Italian history and art, this movie is a must-watch!
The plot follows American symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) who stumbles upon the revival of the Illuminati, an ancient secret society. Langdon rushes to Rome to warn its most hated enemy, the Vatican, and teams up with the gorgeous Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer). Together they start chasing down ancient symbols to stop the Illuminati’s evil plan against the Catholic Church.
The movie makes you feel like you’ve got special access to the Vatican and its secret archives, plus you’ll explore some hidden gems of art in the city.