Many readers may have been already to the cinema to watch one of the most anticipated movies of this Summer, the modern take on classic comic and 1970s’ tv series Wonder Woman. Those a bit more familiar with the lands of Italy may have recognized a couple of pretty popular locations – Palinuro and Castel del Monte above all, backdrop to some of the film’s most spectacular scenes.
Recognizing places you are familiar with when watching a movie, and even a simple TV add, is a somehow satisfying experience, or so I find every time I recognize my beloved Turin somewhere. Truth is there are plenty of cinema classics that have artfully used the beauties of Italy as the perfect canvas to paint enigmatic sketches of love affairs and treasons, coming of age experiences and supernatural events.
The mind runs immediately to Fellini’s Rome in La Dolce Vita, or to the poetic yet sadness-imbued Tuscany of Benigni’s Life is Beautiful. Truth is, however, that American directors – just as Italians- have always had a soft spot for Italy, too. Did you know, for instance, that parts of Star Wars Episodes I and II have been filmed in Italy? And that the Holy Land of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ is, in fact, 2019’s European city of culture Matera?
San Quirico d’Orcia: Gladiator
In spite of its many historical mistakes and that couple of soldiers wearing watches in the initial battle scenes, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator remains one of my favorite movies: good plot, great soundtrack, Joaquin Phoenix dressed as an emperor… Of course, the movie is fictionally set in Rome, but most of it was not filmed on location. Scott’s crew did however spend two weeks in Italy to shoot two important scenes, those of Maximus’ return from war and of his death: if you are familiar with the movie, you probably remember them very well, as they are among the most charged in pathos of the whole film. Both see Crowe standing in a field, looking on to a beautifully green hillside, traversed by a gently sloping dirt road lined with cypresses. We are in Tuscany, near Siena, in San Quirico d’Orcia.
Apparently, locals started calling all cypresses “gladiatori” after the movie made the location – and its trees – popular all over the world.
Matera: The Passion of the Christ
Matera is a true diamond in the rough. Plagued by unemployment and neglect for decades, this uniquely beautiful town has been enjoying a cultural and economic renaissance that brought it to be nominated Cultural Capital of Europe for the year 2019. Cinema never quite forgot it, though, even during its bleakest times: because of the peculiar architecture of its “sassi”, homes directly carved into the rock, Matera has always been a hot spot for movie makers: scenes from the already mentioned Wonder Woman have been set here, just as parts of 2006’s The Omen, 2016’s remake of Ben-Hur and Pasolini’s The Gospel According to Saint Matthew. The most famous film set entirely Matera, however, is certainly Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which won an Oscar for cinematography thanks to the town’s stunning views. Known as the “subterranean city” because of its developed network of caves and tunnels, Matera’s typical dwellings, the “sassi”, have been inhabited for centuries before being abandoned in the 1950s due to health and safety concerns. In more recent years, however, people have been moving back into them, bringing life back into Matera’s own most recognizable landmarks.
Royal Palace of Caserta: Star Wars Episodes I and II
The Royal Palace of Caserta has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and it is considered the largest royal dwelling in the world. Inspired by the beautiful and elegant Palace of Versailles, it is a perfect example of baroque architecture, surrounded by masterfully landscaped gardens. Although often at the center of controversies related to its maintenance and conservation, the Royal Palace remains as stunning as ever. Its magnificence is certainly not a surprise, but its heavy featuring in the Star War saga may: the “reggia” was used as Queen Amidala’s palace in Star Wars Attack of the Clones and The Phantom Menace, its iconic staircases probably one of the most unforgettable features. Movie buffs may recognize some of its corridors and rooms also in Mission Impossible and Angel and Demons.
Portofino: The Wolf of Wall Street
To Italians, Portofino is synonym with glamour and glitz: located on the Ligurian coast of Levante, not far from Genoa, Portofino is known for its sea, the beautiful villas dominating it from the hills and, of course, its iconic “piazzetta”, its painting-like heart, framed by colorful houses and a crystal clear sea. Scorsese’s crew spent two weeks in Liguria while filming the Oscar winning The Wolf of Wall Street, where you can recognize areas of Portofino, Vernazza (in the Cinque Terre) and Genoa.
Other movies set in Portofino? Michelangelo Antonioni and Wim Wenders’ Beyond Clouds and, well, some episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful.
Castello di Sammezzano: The Tale of Tales
Set into the Tuscan countryside, Sammezzano Castle looks like a fairy palace, filled with arabesque decorations, stain glass windows and A Thousand and one Nights’s atmosphere. It comes as no surprise it has been chosen as set for the first English language movie by Italian director Matteo Garrone. The darkly creative The Tale of Tales, interpreted by international stars Salma Hayek and Vincent Cassel, was entirely filmed in Italy, and Sammezzano Castle was only one of the many historical locations to serve as a background to its action. Other famous and beautiful places featured in the movie are Castel del Monte in Apulia, Castello di Donnafugata in Sicily, the palace and gardens of Capodimonte in Naples. If you like gothic atmospheres and Italian architecture, this movie is definitely for you.
A handful of hints, a pair of good eyes and a soft spot for Italy: that is really all you need to spot these spectacular Italian locations all over the international silver screen.
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