At Flavours, we have curated a selection of our favourite films set in Italy, a country renowned for its natural beauty and abundance. From its rich natural larder to its breathtaking coastlines, everything in Italy, even a ripe, scarlet-hued tomato, can inspire you to break out your paintbrush—which you can do on our painting holidays.
Each year, we explore the most stunning sites across Italy, from Sicily’s turquoise waters and bustling fish markets to the rolling, verdant hills of Tuscany and the crooked bridges of Venice. But what to do between trips? Whether you’re into Pilates, Nordic Walking, cookery, or photography, we hope you’ll join us on a weekend or week-long trip this year or in 2025. In the meantime, we’ve compiled a list of the most visually arresting films set in Italy to help you prepare for your journey.
If you’re seeking other ways to get in the mood for your next visit to Europe’s most famous boot, consider our round-up of books that will transport you to Italy, or try an Italian recipe at home using our favourite Italian cookbooks. For now, sit back, relax, and let the TV do all the work as you enjoy some armchair travel with these stunning films set in Rome, Florence, and Positano.
THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), directed by Anthony Minghella and based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel, is a psychological thriller that explores themes of identity, obsession, and deception. This is one of our favourite films set in Italy and stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a young man of modest means who becomes entranced by the glamorous lifestyle of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), a wealthy and carefree socialite living in Italy. Tasked with retrieving Dickie and bringing him back to America, Tom instead becomes obsessed with Dickie’s life and begins to manipulate, lie, and murder his way into it. With stellar performances by Damon, Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow, the film is a visually stunning and suspenseful exploration of how far one man will go to reinvent himself. The movie’s tense atmosphere, lush cinematography, and haunting score contribute to its lasting impact as a chilling study of envy and moral decay.
Feeling inspired by those sandy beaches and quaint fishing boats? Come with us to Sicily! One of our favourite parts of Italy’s coastal offering, in 2025 we will have Italian language, photography, cookery, Pilates, and painting trips here.
THE GREAT BEAUTY
“The Great Beauty,” a 2013 art drama directed by Paolo Sorrentino, has been widely acclaimed by critics as a love letter to Rome. This captivating tale delves into the essence of beauty, exploring its manifestations in people, design, art, and actions. Sorrentino suggests that the ultimate beauty lies in the film’s setting—Rome itself.
In this enchanting city, we encounter Jep Gambardella, portrayed by Toni Servillo. Jep is a 65-year-old journalist, theatre critic, and socialite who penned a promising book in his twenties but has since been plagued by writer’s block. Amidst the glitzy scenes of Euro-trash parties pulsating with dance music, we witness Jep’s introspection as he contemplates his life, identity, and desires.
The film’s scenes often begin with Jep’s sunrise walks as he departs from one event or another, tracing his steps through Rome’s charmingly winding streets, along the banks of the River Tiber, or among the crumbling remnants of Via Veneto. It is no surprise that a film centered on visual allure is itself a feast for the eyes, making it a must-watch and one of our favourite films set in Italy.
For those who value accolades, “The Great Beauty” boasts impressive credentials, having won Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, as well as a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award in the same category.
EAT PRAY LOVE
You could call Eat Pray Love a rom-com or even a chick flick (if you were feeling skeptical), but really it isn’t either of those things. At 33, Liz Gilbert has what looks like a successful life; a great career, a beautiful house in New York, and a loving husband. But, underneath, she’s drowning in anxiety, filled with a sinking feeling that something just isn’t right. So, she ups sticks and decides to complete a world tour of sorts, spending three prolonged periods, in three different places, as a meditation on life and her future. The film, which was released in 2010 and stars Julia Roberts, is filmed in Delhi and Pataudi for the Indian portion of her journey, followed by Ubud and Padang-Padang Beach as the story continues to Bali. But, her first stop?
When she leaves her life behind in NYC, it’s Rome that Liz lands in first, with an amusing introductory scene that sees Julia Roberts check into a decrepit, yet charming, apartment in an ancient building where hot water rarely works and the landlord runs a tight ship. From here, we experience Rome and Naples, and more importantly, the culture of Italian living, with Liz. There are dreamy montages of city life – including nuns eating ice cream and locals drinking from water fountains – as well as newfound friendships with larger-than-life Italians who set about teaching an American how to savour the beauty of enjoying life. You feel like you’re right there, learning with her. The most fun part is that Liz Gilbert is a real person, so after watching you can go and find more out about her story and her time there.
Eat, Pray, Love by Liz Gilbert – BUY HERE
SUMMERTIME
An oldie but a goodie; Summertime is a charming romantic comedy released in 1955 and stars some of the time’s best silver screen starlets including a characterful Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi, Darren McGavin, and Isa Miranda. It’s a tale that would make any of us want to book a trip to Venice, as Jane, a middle-aged secretary from Ohio who has never found love, decides to fulfil a lifelong dream of touring around the City of Bridges. Of course, in a place this romantic she would inevitably meet a tall, dark, handsome stranger and so begins their love affair which includes a moonlit concert in the piazza, listening to a live orchestra play the overture to La gazza ladra, atmospheric walks along the canals and even a fireworks show.
As the narrator of the film says, “This is Venice, captivating and enchanting, the world’s most beautiful city” – and not only do we agree, but we love the vintage quality in the way this picture is filmed, making the scenes even more dream-like.
We can’t believe you could watch Summertime without planning a trip to Venice. Join us next year with holidays focused on painting, Italian language, cooking, and a festive short break special.
I AM LOVE
I Am Love offers a different view of Italian life, seen through the vessel of a brilliant Tilda Swinton, who plays Emma, the Russian wife of a rich industrialist, whose family has owned the textile business in Milan for generations. In this chic city where class, luxury, and status are everything, Emma has learned to act, speak, and think like an Italian until one day, when her emotions take over. We follow Emma down a slippery path as she falls in love with a lowly chef and risks everything to be with him, stealing moments on beaches, in a simple villa, and propped up at a bar.
It’s a harsher view into the elitist circles of one of the world’s fashion capitals, but intoxicating because of it. Here, intense luxury and wealth are shown next to what matters, pure moments with a loved one in the sunshine. Of course, Tilda’s elegant outfits, complete with 60s-style sunglasses, are simply wonderful, especially paraded around the fashionable streets of Milan.
FROM SCRATCH (Series)
When we first started watching this Netflix series, an eyebrow may have been raised. Is this just another spin on Eat Pray Love, we wondered? A beautiful, American art student, Amy, wanders the streets of Florence, marvelling at its historic features and huge bowls of pasta. It’s here that she meets Italian chef Lino and their instant chemistry progresses into a relationship. It’s got everything you’d hope for from an Italian romance, spanning shots of the Santa Maria del Fiore, the sensual enjoyment of Italian food, and date nights spent wandering tiny streets lined with trattorias. And then, it doesn’t. Without spoiling too much, when Amy moves back to the US, Lino follows her there and that’s when some harsh realities set in, and change their lives forever.
“From Scratch” is based on the autobiography of Tembi Locke, so you should know that it all really happened, the good, but also the bad, and the very sad.
TO ROME WITH LOVE
This film has been described as ‘classic Woody Allen’ and within a few minutes, it’s easy to see why. We’re introduced to To Rome With Love by a handsome policeman, dressed in white gloves and a proud police hat, directing traffic. A symbol of Rome’s beauty, elegance, and tradition. He becomes our narrator and is a perfect contrast from what follows; a gaggle of pseudo-intellectual Americans, falling in and out of love, sniping and berating each other, and exploring and judging Rome. The energy is hectic but fun, as we follow this odd-bod group around the city. Highlights include Penélope Cruz comically playing a voluptuous prostitute called Anna, who when musing over some of Rome’s most famous frescos agrees it’s hard work, working on your back for a living.
Alec Baldwin’s character is a well-known architect who once lived in Rome while studying, and while re-discovering his old haunts, happens upon the apartment building he once lived in. It’s as charming as you’d hope, with a hint of ramshackle, but very much buoyed with a Hollywood touch and will have anyone watching wishing they too had thought to do a few years in Rome in their youth. Throughout the film, we’re taken to theatres, museums, galleries, and across the city’s most famous sights. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve been on holiday there yourself, although hopefully with a less complicated crowd.
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
We couldn’t complete this list without A Room With A View, first, the 1908 novel written by E. M. Forster, followed by the classic film, released in 1985, starring Helena Bonham Carter as the young Lucy Honeychurch. Its title is, of course, referring to the view over the River Arno in Florence where this story begins. A famed sight, Italy’s second most important river is punctuated by The Ponte Vecchio, a medieval arched bridge crafted from stone, which was the only one in the city to survive the Second World War.
Viewers will enjoy plenty of stunning shots of Florence and its famous landmarks, including the Piazza della Signoria where Lucy faints after seeing a brutal fight between locals, and has her first intimate interaction with handsome Englishman George who is also staying at her hotel. Before the story returns to England, the tourists head to the gorgeous Tuscan countryside for a day out, featuring wildflower meadows, long grasses, and plenty of golden light, which as we know, ends with a passionate kiss between this soon-to-be couple. It’s a sweet tale that ends where it starts, in a room with a view, a fitting final entry in our blog of films set in Italy.
Fancy reading the book instead, or before watching the film? BUY HERE
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