5 successful films that were shot in Tuscany

Considered one of the most beautiful regions in Italy, Tuscany is a true open-air set. In over one hundred years of cinema, many Italian and foreign directors have exploited its incredible territory as the setting for their films.

Among the countless films shot among its landscapes, we have selected five that we suggest you see and review.

A Room with a View

Among the great successes set partly or entirely in Tuscany, it is impossible not to mention ‘A Room with a View’, a sentimental 1985 film directed by American director James Ivory. Based on the novel of the same name by English writer E. M. Forster, it boasts an extraordinary cast of actors including Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. The plot revolves around Lucy, a young Englishwoman travelling to Italy with her elderly cousin. The film, set in early 20th century Florence, traverses many of the city’s famous sites. Critically acclaimed, it won three Oscars in 1987.

The English Patient

Another big hit is ‘The English Patient’, a 1996 film directed by director Anthony Minghella, starring Ralph Fiennes as Count László Almásy and Juliette Binoche as Nurse Hana. Based on the novel of the same name by writer Michael Ondaatje, it tells the stories of several characters who intersect at the end of World War II, between the province of Siena and the North African desert. The film shows various places in Tuscany, including a chapel in Camprena, several areas in Viareggio, the centre of Pienza and several chapels in Arezzo. It won nine Academy Awards in 1997.

La vita è bella

A timeless masterpiece to watch and see again is undoubtedly ‘La vita è bella’, a 1997 film directed and starring the great Tuscan artist Roberto Benigni. At his side, in addition to his wife Nicoletta Braschi, the young Giorgio Cantarini made his stage debut. Set in the years of the Second World War and those preceding it, the film tells the story of Guido Orefice, an ever-cheerful Jewish man who is deported with his wife and son to a Nazi concentration camp. Most of the city scenes were filmed in the beautiful historical centre of Arezzo. It won three Academy Awards in 1999.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Another sentimental film we recommend you watch is ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’, a 2003 film directed by Audrey Wells. It boasts a truly exceptional cast with actors of the calibre of Diane Lane, Sandra Oh and Raoul Bova. The plot revolves around Frances, an American writer after a painful separation, who decides to change her life and buys an abandoned villa to renovate in the Tuscan countryside. The film, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by writer Frances Mayes, was shot mainly in Cortona, but there are also shots in other Tuscan cities such as Florence and Montepulciano.

New Moon

The last of the films set in Tuscany on this short list is ‘New Moon’, a 2009 film directed by Chris Weitz and scripted by Melissa Rosenberg. It is the second chapter of the famous Twilight saga, which tells the love story between a girl and a vampire. The film, released in cinemas in November 2009, is an adaptation of the 2006 novel of the same name by US author Stephenie Meyer. The book is partially set in Volterra, but the film was shot in the fascinating streets of Montepulciano, a charming medieval town perched on a hill separating the Val di Chiana from the Val d’Orcia.