Movies have the magic of transporting us to places we’ve never been, places we long to be, and places we hope to revisit. There is no better time than now to use film to explore the world. The beautiful landscapes, architecture, and culture of Venice, Verona, Florence, Rome, Puglia, and Sicily are captured in some of our favorite films.
Below is a list of movies that feature many of the spots ECA takes travelers to. Until we are able to do that again, we hope you use these films to do so. Enjoy the movies and the wonderful locations that we will visit soon, hopefully!
Location: Tuscany
Movie: Under The Tuscan Sun
After a rough divorce, Frances, a 35-year-old book editor from San Francisco takes a tour of Tuscany at the urgings of her friends. On a whim, she buys Bramasole, a run-down villa in the Tuscan countryside, and begins to piece her life together starting with the villa and finds that life sometimes has unexpected ways of giving her everything she wanted.
This film is currently streaming on Hulu and available for rent on many platforms.
Location: Verona
Movie: Letters to Juliet
An American girl on vacation in Italy finds an unanswered "letter to Juliet" -- one of the thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by the "secretaries of Juliet" -- and she goes on a quest to find the lovers referenced in the letter.
Letters to Juliet featuring Amanda Seyfried and Christopher Egan is streaming on Showtime, streaming with a subscription on fuboTV, and available for rent or purchase on iTunes, Youtube, and Prime Video, among others.
Location: Pienza (Tuscany)
Movie: Romeo And Juliet (1968 Version)
Director Franco Zeffirelli's beloved version of one of the most well-known love stories in the English language. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall in love against the wishes of their feuding families. Driven by their passion, the young lovers defy their destiny and elope, only to suffer the ultimate tragedy. Surprisingly Romeo and Juliet was not shot in Verona, where the story supposedly takes place, but in the small town of Pienza (Tuscany) that ECA does visit on our ‘A Taste of Tuscany & Piedmont tour’. This movie is currently available to be rented on Amazon Prime.
Location: Pompeii
Movie: Pompeii The Last Day
In 79 AD, one of the infamous natural disasters in human history occurred when Mount Vesuvius erupted. With speculative dramatizations of various inhabitants' final hours along with detailed documentation of the known facts concerning the eruption, the horrific day is vividly brought to life. If you’re interested in viewing this movie, it is available for rent on Amazon Prime.
Location:Venice
Movie: Bread And Tulips
An endearing light comedy about a woman who spontaneously becomes a resident of Venice after her family leaves her. While enjoying the wonderful people she meets she achieves a new life and is for the first time independent of her family. stream for free here.
Location: Florence
Movie: Tea with Mussolini
Tea with Mussolini is a 1999 Anglo-Italian semi-autobiographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, scripted by John Mortimer, telling the story of a young Italian boy's upbringing by a circle of British and American women before and during the Second World War. This movie is available for purchase on DVD at Amazon.
Location: Venice
Movie: The Tourist
American tourist Frank meets a mysterious British woman Elsie on the train to Venice. Romance seems to bud, but there's more to her than meets the eye. Starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, this remake of the 2005 French film "Anthony Zimmer", written and directed by Jérôme Salle captures all the beauty of Venice. This film is available to watch on Netflix and rent on Prime Video, Youtube, and Itunes, among others.
Location: Rome
Movie: The Great Beauty
The Great Beauty captures Rome like no other movie can. Following the wanderings of the womanizing and party-loving Jep Gambardella, each shot is a glorious aesthetic punch – like all of Paolo Sorrentino’s movies. You can stream it today on Amazon.
Location: Rome
Movie: La Dolce Vita
Journalist and man-about-town Marcello struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure of Rome's elite social scene and the stifling domesticity offered by his girlfriend, all the while searching for a way to become a serious writer.
La Dolce Vita featuring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg is streaming with a subscription on Filmbox Live (Via Prime Video). It's a comedy and drama movie with a very high Rotten Tomatoes (critics) score of 96%.
Location: Sicily
Movie: The Leopard
As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi, to marry Angelica, the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout. This movie is currently available for streaming on Amazon.
Location: Puglia
Movie: Walking on Sunshine
Set to the music of popular hit songs from the 1980s. A beautiful coastal village, present-day Italy. After a whirlwind romance, Maddie is preparing to marry gorgeous Italian Raf, and has invited her sister Taylor to the wedding. Unbeknownst to Maddie, however, Raf is Taylor's ex-holiday flame and the love of her life… stream for free via Tubi, here.
Location: Florence
Movie: A Room with a View
When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperon Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, fellow guests Mr. Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. Meeting the Emersons could change Lucy's life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Tuscany affect her marriage plans?
A Room with a View featuring Helena Bonham Carter and Julian Sands is streaming on Cinemax or available for rent or purchase on iTunes and Google Play.