Italian film locations

With its iconic cities and gorgeous countryside, it’s no surprise that Italy has featured in many a famous film over the years. Here are some of the settings you can visit.

Where: Turin
The film: The Italian Job
The legendary Michael Caine heist movie saw Mini-induced gridlock in the streets of Turin, and the car chases through the city streets made it one of the most popular films of all time. No special effects were used to create the snarl up – they used catering vans to block exits and cause chaos.
The cars, of course, made it all over the city, including across the weir of the River Po and down the steps outside the Gran Madre di Dio church, interrupting a wedding in the process. The three car jump stunt was kept off-road, done instead on top of the city’s Fiat factory. This is now the Lingotto, a massive shopping and conference complex, and you can only get to the rooftop racetrack if you eat in the La Pista restaurant (00 39 011 631 3523). Meanwhile, the iconic end sequence was filmed out of town in the Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso. The actual spot where the lorry teetered precariously over the edge is near Ceresole Reale, high up in the Alps.

Where: Sicily.
Films: The Godfather Trilogy.
There’s no way that the world’s most famous mafia saga could get away with replacing anywhere else for Sicily, and a fair few key parts of the series were shot here. In the first film, Michael goes into hiding in the village of Corleone. This village does exist, but the filming was actually done in Forza d’Agro and Savoca. He gets married in the church of Santa Lucia in the latter, while the villa he stays in is the Castello degli Schiavi near Fiumefreddo.
Meanwhile, the bloody climax to the trilogy took place at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo.

Where: Venice.
The film: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
There are few places in the world that have been filmed as much as Venice. The likes of Casino Royale, The English Patient, Heat and The Talented Mr Ripley have all showcased the city, but some of the most memorable scenes come in the third Indy movie.

The canals, of course, provided the backdrop for the obligatory boat chase sequence, but some of the key clues to the location of the Holy Grail are revealed in the church of San Barnaba in Campo San Barnaba. This is where he sees the X on the floor mosaic, and digs through to find the ancient knight’s tomb in the catacombs.

Where: Arezzo, Tuscany.
The film: Life Is Beautiful.
When Roberto Benigni was filming his Oscar-winning holocaust tragi-comedy, he decided to stick to what he knew. For the first, decidedly lighter half of the film he set the story in the city in which he grew up.
The sloping main square, Piazza Grande, is the most instantly recognisable spot – it’s where Benigni’s clownish character comes across his ‘Principessa’ for the second time. Just off the main square is Piaggia San Martino, where the key drops from the heavens (or at least the old woman on the top floor), impressing Dora greatly.
Other attractions of the city not covered by the film include the remarkable Legend Of The True Cross fresco in the Church of San Fransisco.

Where: Porto Cervo, Sardinia.
The film: The Spy Who Loved Me.
In one of the most famous Bond film scenes of all time, Roger Moore and his lovely companion drive off the edge of a pier. As soon as they’re underwater, the Lotus Esprit turns into a gadget-laden submarine. The chasing helicopter is blown up with a rocket, whilst marauding divers are taken out with torpedoes, depth charges and smoke screens. Once all the evil henchmen are polished off, the car emerges from the water and drives onto a beach full of bemused tourists.
That beach is in Porto Cervo, the hideout for the stinking rich in north-east Sardinia. It’s the sort of place where the size of your yacht counts, but the scenery and coastline were the setting for all the Italy-based parts of the film. The beach, too, can be found there, despite the underwater action sequences being filmed in The Bahamas.

Where: Rome.
The film: Roman Holiday.
The classic romantic comedy, starring Audrey Hepburn as a princess and Gregory Peck as charming yet conniving reporter Joe Bradley, managed to flit right across the city.
Given that Peck’s character was taking Princess Anne on a tour of Rome, it comes as no surprise to see the most popular sights, such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum all featuring.
On top of the usual suspects, we also have the Spanish Steps (where Anne gets to grips with a gelato), the Trevi Fountain (where Bradley tries to steal a child’s camera) and Castel Sant’Angelo. This is the backdrop for the scene where the pair are dancing on the river barges, and can be found right by the Pont Sant’Angelo.

Where: Caserta, Campania.
The film: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
The undoubted highlight point of this town, a short drive north of Naples, is the Palazzo Reale, which is more commonly known as La Reggia. Back in 1752, Charles of Bourbon decided that he wanted his own version of Versailles in France, and set Neopolitan architect Luigi Vantivelli the task of creating something magnificent.
With over 1,200 rooms and huge, manicured gardens, that’s exactly what the rather vain ruler of Naples got, and the palace is an unquestionably impressive place to visit.
Fans of the Star Wars trilogies, however, will know the palace before they even arrive. La Reggia was one of the major bases whilst The Phantom Menace was being filmed, and doubled as Queen Amidala’s luxurious royal residence in Naboo.