11 of the best movies and TV shows set in Italy

17.07.2024 - 11:09 / lonelyplanet.com / Audrey Hepburn

Jul 16, 2024 • 9 min read

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).

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.

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.

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