6 films shot in Versilia

Versilia, with its beautiful and varied territory where scenery and landscapes change within a few kilometres, has often been the protagonist of cinematographic successes. In fact, numerous directors, both Italian and foreign, have chosen it as the location for their films.

Here is a short list of films that have been shot, in part or entirely, in Versilia.

Sapore di Mare

The progenitor of films set in Versilia is undoubtedly ‘Sapore di Mare’, a 1983 film that has made entire generations dream. Born from the imagination of brothers Enrico and Carlo Vanzina, it boasts an exceptional cast with actors of the calibre of Jerry Calà, Christian De Sica, Isabella Ferrari, Marina Suma and Virna Lisi (winner of a David di Donatello and a Nastro d’Argento as best supporting actress). The film, set in the 1960s in Forte dei Marmi (already a favourite holiday destination in Italy at the time), recounts the summer of a group of young people and their families, amid picnics, beach games, the intertwining of flirtations and disappointments, and nightly bonfires by the sea. It has become a symbol of the carefreeness and emotions of a bygone era, and was mostly filmed in the Marechiaro and Dalmazia bathing establishments near Capannina di Franceschi. The same year saw the release of the sequel, ‘Sapore di mare 2 – Un anno dopo’, and in 2014 the sequel, ‘Sapore di te’.

Un’estate al mare

In 2008, twenty-five years after their first film in Versilia, the Vanzina brothers shot one of the seven episodes of the comedy film ‘Un estate al mare’ in Forte dei Marmi. There are many well-known names in the cast: Lino Banfi, Gigi Proietti, Nancy Brilli, Enrico Brignano, Italo Funaro, Ezio Greggio, Biagio Izzo and Massimo Ceccherini, to name but a few. It tells seven stories set in famous seaside locations in Italy. The title refers to the song of the same name brought to success in 1982 by Giuni Russo. The episode filmed in Forte dei Marmi, entitled ‘Saracinesca’, is about a Fiorentina fan, Cecco, who bumps into Manzanas, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, in the company of his girlfriend Miss Venezuela. Cecco gets in touch with other fans through amateur radio and tries to wrest an admission of his transfer to Fiorentina. But due to a series of misunderstandings, he ends up in bed with the beautiful South American, blowing up the move to the purple team.

Bagnomaria

‘Bagnomaria’ is a 1999 film directed and starring Giorgio Panariello, in which the Tuscan comedian’s comedy explodes with all its power. The film was entirely shot in Versilia (between Marina di Pietrasanta and Forte dei Marmi), except for a few scenes, filmed in the Lucca countryside (in Montecarlo). Set in sunny Versilia at the end of summer, the film consists of four stories whose protagonists are all played by Panariello. In the first, a boy named Simone falls in love with a young and beautiful doughnut seller and leaves the summer camp where he was to follow her. In the second, Pierre, a PR professional and the mayor’s son, disrupts the end-of-season party organised by his father. In the third, Merigo, a likeable man in his forties with a passion for wine and bicycles, is the object of a decidedly heavy joke. And finally in the fourth, a lifeguard named Mario saves the owner of the historic bathing establishment Bagnomaria from bankruptcy.

Miracle at St. Anna

‘Miracle at St. Anna’ is a 2008 film directed by Spike Lee and based on the homonymous novel by James McBride (who wrote the screenplay). Filmed mostly in Upper Versilia, it evokes with horror and dismay the events of the massacre at Sant’Anna di Stazzema, which took place on 12 August 1944 when the SS killed more than 900 people, mostly women and children. Four African-American soldiers belonging to the 92nd Buffalo Division, stranded in a small village after one of them risked his life to save an Italian child, rediscover a forgotten humanity by living among the locals and with a group of partisans. In the film, besides some great American actors (such as John Turturro and Joseph Gordon-Levitt), there are also famous Italian actors such as Pierfrancesco Favino and Luigi Lo Cascio.

007 Quantum of Solace

Even the legendary James Bond came to Versilia. The film ‘007 Quantum of Solace’ (2008), directed by Swiss-born German director Marc Forster, is the 22nd chapter in the series dedicated to the most famous spy in film history, as well as the sequel to ‘Casino Royale’ (2006). The film stars British actor Daniel Craig, who plays the role of British secret agent 007 for the second time. A corner of Versilia well known to mountain and cycling enthusiasts appears in the film. We are talking about the steep roads of Alta Versilia, between the Passo del Vestito and the suggestive and dangerous Galleria del Cipollaio, which were used as a set for some car chase scenes.

The English Patient

The last film on this short list is ‘The English Patient’, a 1996 film directed by British director Anthony Minghella and based on the novel of the same name by writer Michael Ondaatje. It boasts an extraordinary cast of actors including Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe and Naveen Andrews. It tells the stories of several characters who intersect at the end of the Second World War, between Tuscany and the North African desert. The film features Viareggio and one of its historic hotels overlooking the sea, a bathing establishment in Forte dei Marmi and the Cava Niquila in Massaciuccoli, a veritable theatre carved out of the mountain, a stone’s throw from the lake of the same name.

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