BEST MOVIES SET IN TUSCANY

How about planning your journey in Tuscany 
throught your favourite films..

..Famed for its countryside,  the unspoilt coastline and  the medieval towns,
Tuscany has been used as a backdrop for many films during the last 50 years.
Its the fusion of nature combined with art, history and strong traditions
that draw so many art directors to shoot their movies here.

Certainly the scenes of "the Gladiator"  running to the top of the hill,
is one of the most celebrative images of our countryside.
But coming by yourself to the Val d'Orcia and capture with your eyes and memories
 the real essence of this landscape is worth a visit!!

 

Under the Tuscan Sun: One of the more recent and notable movies shot in Tuscany, the film takes the viewer on a journey of self-discovery through the protagonist Frances Mayes (played by Diane Lane). After going through a painful divorce, Frances, at the urging of her friend Patti (Sandra Oh) takes a trip through Tuscany and ends up making a permanent move. Through the restoration of her villa, Frances discovers new friends, Tuscany and herself. Film locations: Cortona.

 Stealing Beauty: A film by the great director Bernardo Bertolucci, a young 19 year old girl, played by Liv Tyler travels to the Tuscan countryside to find her true father, and along the way also discovers herself. The film is full of beautiful cinematography, and the colors found in the film are often compared to those used by the French Fauvists. Bertolucci combines love, drama, and art to produce an unforgettable movie. Film location: towns of southern Siena.

  The Gladiator: The famed director Ridley Scott knew he could only find the right light to portray paradise in Tuscany, specifically in the Val d’Orcia. Those who have seen the blockbuster movie will be familiar with the scene where Maximus rides back home from the war along a cypress lined path to arrive only too late to save his family. This scene is shot in the Sienise countryside. The scenes where Maximus dreams of paradise are shot instead in the Val d'Orcia, the valley most often captured in Tuscan postcards. Film location: Val D'Orcia valley

Hannibal: Another film by Ridley Scott, displays Florence in its gothic glory. Hannibal, appearing to be an expert on Dante gives lectures in Palazzo Vecchio's Sala dei Cinquecento as well as commits his most gruesome crimes in Piazza della Signoria and Piazza della Reppublica. Film location: Florence.

Tea with Mussolini: Presents Florence in a most tourist light. It includes all the greatest monuments in Florence such as Ponte Vecchio, Piazza del Duomo, Piazza Santa Maria Novella, Piazza Santissima Annunziata, the English Cemetery, Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, and of includes the Florentine sunsets and sunrises.
Film location: Florence.

A Room with a View: The 1985 movie based on the E.M. Forster novel follows the artistic education of Lucy, who happens to have the perfect panorama of Florence from her room in the Bertolini pension. It is also includes the picturesque countryside accompanied by the melody of mandolins. Film location: Fiesole

 Life is Beautiful: Roberto Benigni’s masterpiece, which was awarded three Oscars (best actor, best foreign movie and best soundtrack), was set in Arezzo. The city is the ideal backdrop for the comical conquest of the beautiful schoolteacher by Benigni's character. The city also reveals the inevitable that happens later on in the movie, with the signs prohibiting Jews and the conceit of the fascists. Film location: Arezzo.

 Midsummer’s Night Dream: The Shakespearean classic is set in the town of Montalcino, world famous for its Brunello. It includes a stellar cast of stars: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, and Sophie Marceau. They all bring the text to life, although without the dark undertones found in Shakespeare's original. The Tuscan countryside's role is used for its folkloristic charm. Film location: Montalcino and Val D'Orcia area.

The English Patient: The director, Anthony Minghella, chose to film the majority of this critically acclaimed film in the monastery of Sant'Anna in Camprena, a setting most appropriate for recounting this story of burning passion. The film is also features locations such as Pienza, Montepulciano, and Versilia. Here, Tuscany was the perfect setting to accompany the tragic film. Film location: Pienza, Montepulciano

The Portrait of a Lady: This period piece, starring Nicole Kidman, is set in a Luccan villa with typical Baroque gardens, a perfect setting for the story of a woman playing the part of a perfect wife to an upper class man, meanwhile inside she is a tortured woman desperate to break free. The villa mirrors this character, with its perfectly geometric facade but has a dark and mysterious interior. Film location: outside Lucca.

Letters to Juliet: The movie tells the story of a young American girl who finds an old letter of a person addressed to her lover in Verona in the courtyard of the house of Juliet (that of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet). Here pepole gather everyday to write letters to their lovers or about them. The secretaries of Juliet respond to each one of them on a voluntary basis, even to those mailed from all over the world. However, this letter was hidden and unanswered despite the secretaries of Juliet. Therefore the girl writes back to the writer of the latter and decides to make them encounter again. Tuscany comes into play for much of the film as the person the letter was addressed to is in Tuscany. The wonderful countryside, the small towns, and the people of the region are the main frame of the story. Film locations: towns of southern Siena.



Up to the Villa: Superficial people are revealed and drastically changed by circumstance or luck in this a tale of death, seduction, blackmail and theft among British and Americans in Florence in the turbulent days just before World War II.
Film lacations VILLA CETINALE near Siena ( just 10 kms away from Borgo Pretale)

007 Quantum of Solace: Seeking revenge for the death of his love, secret agent James Bond sets out to stop an environmentalist from taking control of a country's valuable resource. The Palio horse race and the town of Siena are a great frame for this exciting movie.
Film lacations Siena



and the last one....The Twilight Saga: the famous series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. Part of Twilight Saga New Moon movie was filmed in Montepulciano

Find this in Tuscany in Movies