Reliving cinema in Rome. Some film sets

Rome film set

“Marcello come here!”. Who doesn't remember Anita Ekberg inviting Mastroianni to enter the Trevi fountain with her in the film "La dolce vita". Perhaps it is the first image that comes to mind regarding the link between Rome and cinema but the center of the city (and not only) is practically a whole huge film set and there are really no numbers of films that were shot in the eternal city and that made history (as well as the less noteworthy ones). The capital with its imposing beauty but at the same time popular, accessible and decadent at times has always attracted the imagination and emotions of directors of various genres from Neorealism to today. Engaging and fascinating viewers from all over the world. It is impossible to name all the films that were set here, but we can retrace together the locations of some famous films and see Rome through the eyes of cinema.

The Rome of “once upon a time” films

In addition to the already mentioned "La dolce vita" by Fellini, we cannot talk about film sets in Rome without mentioning them "Roman holidays". Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck ride around on a Vespa and stroll through the magical places of a colorful and vital Rome. Via Margutta, Trevi Fountain, Trinità dei Monti Staircase, Pantheon, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the Colosseum, Piazza Venezia, the Bocca della Verità, Castel Sant'Angelo, are explored with fascinated eyes and give us a great desire to take a tour of the city going back in time. Cinema in Rome is also inextricably linked Alberto Sordi. “The Marquis of Grillo” takes us through the alleys of the Ghetto of Rome near the Portico of Ottavia, in Via delle Pace and among the ruins of the Imperial Forums. But also “Il Tassinaro”, “An American in Rome”, “A small little bourgeois” and various others pay homage to the Old Town and the more peripheral areas of the city. A figure very closely linked to Rome is also that of Pasolini that in "Beggar" makes Castel Sant'Angelo and its bridge the protagonist of the memorable scene of a bet. It was filmed in Piazza del Popolo “We loved each other so much” Of Ettore Scola while one of the most hilarious scenes of “Horse Fever” with Gigi Proietti it was filmed in Piazza Augusto Imperatore.

The sets of the historic center in today's cinema

If you are a fan of Dan Brown's books, walking through St. Peter's Square you will immediately be curious to look around at signs, obelisks and writings with new eyes in search of mysteries and secrets. Robert Langdon, the protagonist of the film “Angels & Demons” starring Tom Hanks, moves not only here in this sacred square-place but among the most important and evocative places in Rome in search of enigmas: Piazza del Popolo with the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Piazza Navona, Sant'Angelo castel, The Pantheon, the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in via XX Settembre. A beautiful tourist spot for the city, almost equal to the one created by “The great beauty” by Paolo Sorrentino, Oscar winner a few years ago. Here the wonderful places where the film was shot are infinite: from the large Janiculum fountain with the nearby Bramante temple, passing through Piazza Navona, Villa Medici near Trinità dei Monti, the Baths of Caracalla, the Aqueducts park and then various prestigious Roman palaces including Palazzo Barberini, Palazzo Taverna, Palazzo Spada and Palazzo Braschi. What can we say about the fairy-tale Rome of the past (albeit current) presented by "Eat, pray, love" with Julia Roberts? Trastevere, Piazza Navona, Via del Corso and via delle Pace are at the top for light and atmosphere in this film.

A tour of cinema locations

There are many ways to visit Rome. One of these is certainly that of retracing the places where some of the best actors and directors of our time have produced elements of our culture. On foot or even better by motorbike (leave the car at home) open your eyes and discover how much this city has given and can give to the cinema with its hidden corners, its alleys, its perhaps little-known but beautiful churches, its light and its colours. And how suggestive it is to let yourself be carried away. Good stroll!

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