Yes, you can read the guidebooks, look at pictures of Italian scenes, but nothing sets the mood for your Italian vacation better than watching an evocative film featuring sympathetic characters and stunning Italian landscapes. By clicking the link, you can compare prices for the DVD.
Cinema Paradiso
Oscar-winning Cinema Paradiso is the story of a young Sicilian boy's love for the movies and his friendship with the projectionist at the local theater. It gives you a peek into the Italy of yesterday, with good music and a feeling for impoverished Sicily.
Dangerous Beauty
Beautiful scenes of Venice in this historical movie about an infamous courtesan set in the 16th century.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
While you might not warm up to Mr. Ripley himself, the beautiful Italian scenery is sometimes breathtaking. The movie is a thriller in English staring Matt Damon that takes place in several parts of Italy, including the Amalfi Coast.
Roman Holiday
Take a delightful romp around Rome with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in this 1953 movie set in Rome (in English).
A Room with a View
This Merchant Ivory production of an E.M. Forster turn-of-the-century novel has beautiful scenes of Tuscany.
Bread and Tulips
A housewife starts a new life with a new man in Venice. The scenes in Venice are very good.
Italian for Beginners
See Italy through the eyes of Danes as they meet for Italian lessons at the local community center. A good one to see in winter. It's really a film about fulfilling dreams, which just might be what that Italian vacation of yours does.
Il Postino
The man selected to deliver letters to Pablo Neruda, exiled on an island off the coast of Italy, has his worldview changed by the poet, who returns to Chile, leaving the postman with dreams and aspirations he can't figure out how to achieve.Ciao, Professore!
Want to try to understand the difference between the north and south of Italy? Well, in this film a teacher applies to be transfered to a nice northern Italian city, when a typo on his application changes his destination from a village in the wealthy north to the impoverished south. He is forced to teach kids in a village where schooling is given a very low priority. Despite it all, this is a very upbeat film.
Tea with Mussolini
Tea with Mussolini, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, is a Merchant Ivory period movie set in Florence during the rise of fascism. The movie centers on a group of British and American women and a young boy living in Florence.
Much Ado About Nothing
Set in the beautiful Tuscan countryside with magnificent scenery, this Shakespeare tale will get you in the mood for a trip to Tuscany. It's one of the easier Shakespeare plays to understand and it's in English.What's Your Favorite Movie Set in Italy?
Tell us about your favorite movie set in Italy or read what others recommend.
