It is well known that Italy as a movie set has always been a source of inspiration for directors and producers of national and world fame. Just think of the scenes from “La Dolce Vita” set in Rome or those of “Eat, Pray, Love”, a movie shot between Rome and Naples. Did you know that the villages have also served as movie sets in Italy for important national and international movies? Get comfortable and prepare the popcorn because today we want to reveal the 5 Italian villages and locations that have inspired important movies.

Arezzo – “Life is Beautiful”

Let’s start our list from the set that inspired the 1999 Academy Award “Life is beautiful”, the city of Arezzo. This pretty medieval village, of very ancient origins, was also the birthplace of illustrious personalities such as Giorgio Vasari, Piero della Francesca, Francesco Redi and Petrarca.

Matera – “The Passion of the Christ”

The external scenes were in fact shot entirely between the Sassi and the ghost town of Craco, while the internal ones in Cinecittà. Thanks to the movie “The Passion”, released in 2004, Matera has experienced a real tourist boom until it is nominated in 2019 European Capital of Culture.

Rocca Calascio – “Lady Hawke” and “The name of the rose”

Named by National Geographic as one of the most beautiful castles in Europe, Rocca Calascio was the backdrop to two spectacular movies such as “Lady Hawke” and “The Name of the Rose”, based on the famous novel by Umberto Eco.

Montepulciano – “New Moon”

Could it be the intense red colour of the Montepulciano wine that inspired Sthephenie Meyer to write about the love of a human and a vampire? It’s hard to know, certainly Montepulciano, with its typical charm of the Sienese villages, is a perfect setting in all circumstances!

Pienza – “The English Patient”

One of the locations of the famous movie that saw Juliette Binoche and William Dafoe in the cast was the village of Pienza. Like Montepulciano, Pienza is located within the magnificent Sienese area, known as the Val d’Orcia, where valleys wisely cultivated with vineyards and olive groves alternate with villages and enchanting places.

written by #giorgiarocchetti