Italy was born for the Silver Screen. Its wealth of history, vibrant art and spectacular, diverse landscapes make it the perfect backdrop for movies and TV series.
Here are some of the best films and shows set in Italy to get you excited for your next trip (or just spend a night armchair traveling).
1. Roman Holiday, 1953
This timeless love story between princess and pauper was shot entirely on location. Audrey Hepburn bagged an Oscar for her turn as a European princess who sneaks away from her holders to explore Rome. Gregory Peck is the shrewd journalist who shows her the highlights of the city with the ulterior motive of getting an insider scoop. But it is Rome that is the true star, as the couple eat gelato by the Spanish Steps, dance the night away near Castello Sant'Angelo and speed by Piazza Venezia on a vespa. You can hardly blame them for inevitably falling in love with such a stylish city as the backdrop.
Like Gregory Peck, you can try your own luck at the Bocca della Verità – the ancient manhole that is said to bite your hand off if you're telling lies. From here, it's a short walk across the Tiber to Trastevere, one of Rome's top neighborhoods for eating. Then consider joining one of the many vespa tours that whizz around the city.
2. The White Lotus, 2022
Season two of the popular satirical franchise is set on the dreamy isle of Sicily, with a new cast of resort guests and employees getting into mischief on and off the property. The show grows darker over the course of the week, contrasting with the gorgeous, cheery coastal landscapes of Taormina. From sitting poolside at the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace to exploring the palazzi in Noto, you can see many of the show's filming locations yourself if you're Mediterranean-bound. You can even lounge on Cefalù Beach, which is featured in the season's opening scene when Daphne (Meghann Fahy) discovers a to-be-identified dead body in the turquoise waters.
3. Gladiator, 2000
None of Ridley Scott's blockbuster was actually filmed in Rome (where Malta steps in for the ancient city), but it remains one of the best recent films at resurrecting the Roman Empire on screen. Russell Crowe is a general who falls from grace under the reign of the devious emperor Commodus (a deliciously evil turn by Joaquin Phoenix) and seeks revenge for the murder of his family in this life or the next. It may have a fair few anachronisms, but there's a real reverence for the ancient world in all its grandeur, best encapsulated by Oliver Reed's aged gladiator who conjures up the glory of the Colosseum in a whispered monologue. All in all, it is an excellent primer before your trip for re-introducing yourself to the politics, violence and spectacle of Ancient Rome.
All of Ancient Rome's best sights are situated a short walk from each other. History buffs should head early to the Colosseum, where Gladiator's cinematic climax plays out. But don't miss the Capitoline Museums for the best Roman antiquities, including a bust of the real-life Commodus.
4. The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1999
When Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is mistaken as a Princeton grad who went to school with Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), Dickie's father pays Tom to go to Dickie in Italy and convince him to return home to the States. So Tom sets off for the fictional town of Mongibello off the coast of Naples, persuades Dickie that they are former classmates and befriends him and his girlfriend, Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). Together, the threesome enjoys the perks of Dickie's lavish lifestyle until Tom develops an obsession with Dickie, and the plot thickens.
While Mongibello is a fictional place, the movie's primary filming destinations, two islands in the Bay of Naples, are very real: Ischia and Procida. In contrast to neighboring Capri, these tiny islands are largely off the mass tourist trail and have a more relaxed vibe, but you'll still find the rainbow of houses and gorgeous beaches that are typical of Mediterranean Italy.
Honorable mention: The 2024 series Ripley was shot in the enchanting town of Atrani on the Amalfi Coast. The psychological thriller depicts the same story (but more in-depth) in black and white and stars Andrew Scott, Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn as the core threesome.
5. La Dolce Vita, 1960
Perhaps the most famous Italian film of all time, Federico Fellini's masterpiece La Dolce Vita has been lauded by critics for 60 years. The film charts Marcello Mastroianni's writer across one philandering week in Rome. Like the seven hills Rome was founded on, the episodic film is split into seven parts, which could represent the Deadly Sins, the days of the week or something completely different – it is this enigma that has continually brought viewers back for more. The most famous part of the movie, though, is the iconic Anita Ekberg wading through the Trevi Fountain in the dead of night. The film is a stylish romp through 1960s Rome, shining a light on the nightclubs and intellectual circles of the capital during this swinging period. It also gave the world the word "paparazzi" after an intrusive journalist supporting character.
For the best way to enjoy the Trevi Fountain, take a leaf out of nocturnal Loren's book. Avoid the day and early evening when the lines of tourists can be disheartening and come in the middle of the night. Stay till last orders at Harry's Bar (also featured in the film), and then it's a short meander to an empty(ish) fountain magically illuminated at night.
6. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, 2021
Stanley Tucci traveling all over Italy sampling different regional cuisines – the Four Pastas in Rome, seafood in Venice, pork in Umbria – is the perfect recipe to inspire your own Italian tour. From the Amalfi Coast to Bologna (often called the food capital of Italy), this series will help you narrow down which part of Italy you should visit based on the food alone, though the stunning scenic shots of each region will sway you, too. It'll also help you decide which Michelin-starred restaurants are worth the competitive reservation and which of the more casual, locally loved spots you should check out.
7. La Grande Bellezza, 2013
A great companion piece to La Dolce Vita (and arguably a sequel of sorts), this Oscar winner follows yet another writer as he meanders through the city. Unlike Peck and Mastroianni's incarnations, though, Toni Servillo plays a seasoned socialite who, on his 65th birthday, sees past the decadent nightclubs and parties and seeks hidden beauty in other parts of Rome through nocturnal wanders. Often cited as a love letter to the city, viewers will be transported to Rome as Servillo strolls by the Tiber through the Capitoline Museums and Piazza Navona.
The film helps put one of the most unique views of St Peter's Basilica on the map. First head to Testaccio and climb the Aventine Hill to the Giardino degli Aranci for a spectacular panorama of the city. Then head next door and peek through the keyhole at the Maltese Embassy to see for yourself this wonderful view of the cathedral, perfectly framed by the keyhole and line of pine trees beyond.
8. Call Me By Your Name, 2017
Timothée Chalamet adorns several northern locations in this languid love story. The tale itself is beautiful, but the northern Italian countryside where it's set is just as – if not more – enchanting. Not far from Milan, much of the film was shot in the towns of Crema and Bergamo. Visit Piazza del Duomo in Crema, the square where the two protagonists spend their last night in Italy together. Climb up to the Cascate del Serio waterfalls and imagine Sufjan Steven's "Mystery of Love" is playing in the background. Venture further and walk the shore of Lake Garda, where Elio's (Chalamet) archaeologist father leads a dig.
9. The Two Popes, 2019
The Two Popes is where Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins quite frankly act their socks off as the respective Popes Francis and Benedict. This Netflix-produced film is a great insight into Vatican politics and lifts a lid on these popes' very different approaches to the job. Securing filming rights in the Vatican is notoriously difficult, so the filmmakers decamped to CineCittà, the main film studio in Italy, to build amazing replicas of the Vatican buildings. The real-life Castel Gandolfo, a former papal summer retreat, is used in the film. Regardless of the authenticity of the film locations, The Two Popes is essential viewing if you want to explore the spiritual side of the city.
If you are a film buff, a tour of the Cinecittà studios just outside Rome is well worth your time. It was not only used for Italian filmmaking, but big-name Hollywood epics like Cleopatra (1963) were shot here. The studios were even referenced in Quentin Tarrantino's Once Upon A Time... in Hollywood (2019). If you are interested in seeing the real side of The Two Popes, explore the Vatican Museums on a late tour for a more ethereal view of these gorgeous rooms.
10. Under the Tuscan Sun, 2003
Frances Mayes (Diane Lane), a recently divorced San Francisco-based writer on vacation in Tuscany, spontaneously decides to buy and fix up an old yet beautiful villa in Cortana, where most of the events of this film take place. There are so many gorgeous spots travelers can visit, like the overlook on Piazza Pescheria where Frances ghostwrites a postcard for a man to send to his mother, but her prose is so beautiful that he knows his mother will never believe it was written by him. Or if you find yourself on the Amalfi Coast, you'll most likely end up on Positano Beach, where Frances's handsome love interest Marcello takes her to his family's restaurant. If you've got the funds, you can even rent the very villa that Frances purchases, known as Villa Laura in real life.
11. Letters to Juliet, 2010
Amanda Seyfried plays a New York City journalist looking to reunite an Italian woman with her long-lost love in this underrated rom-com, which is set and filmed in Verona and Tuscany. The most iconic referenced site you can visit is the Juliet Wall in Verona – yep, it's real – where visitors can leave their handwritten love letters to be answered by volunteers of The Juliet Club, which Sophie (Seyfried) discovers and becomes inspired to write about when she reads one particularly moving letter. The resulting adventure across Tuscany is enough to inspire a dreamy Tuscan road trip.
12. My Brilliant Friend, 2018-present
Based on the novel of the same name (the first in a series of four,) My Brilliant Friend depicts the friendship between two young girls living in a poor community of postwar Naples and follows their story over the course of 60 years. It's complex and gritty and beautiful, exploring themes of gender, class and jealousy, among others. The show was shot all over Naples, of course, but you can also count locations on the nearby island of Ischia, with beaches of turquoise waters and pastel-hued homes (also featured in The Talented Mr Ripley, in case you forgot). The final season is set to premiere September 9 on HBO, with streaming available on Max.
