Let's start with an absolute classic. If there's one film that shows the beauty of Rome and ow two people can easily fall in love here, it's the 1953 rom-com, "Roman Holiday." Starring screen legends Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, it started a new trope that many other films that came after it has used. The story of a beautiful princess, who feels trapped in her royal role, flees her seemingly idyllic life and meets a handsome stranger to exploring the "Eternal City" with. But in the end, no matter how much they've fallen for each other, she has to return to her duties as a monarch.
Source: IMDb.com/ mptvimages.com
With an all-star cast the likes of which include Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Dame Maggie Smith, it's almost sacrilegious not to include "Room with A View" on this list. Even though the film doesn't entirely take place in Italy, a good chunk of it does, And it's during the protagonist's, Lucy Honeychurch, trip to Florence where the plot takes an interesting turn. Chaperoned by her older cousin, she meets an eccentric Englishman named George Emmerson. Charmed by the young lad, Lucy is then conflicted if she should continue her upcoming marriage with fiance Cecil or runaway with George instead.
Source: IMDb.com
One of the two Italian-language films n this list, "Il Postino" or "The Postman" shows both the power of love and the beauty of friendship in the most touching and heart-warming way. On the island of Procida in the Gulf of Naples, Chilean poet Pablo Neruda resides in exile from his own country. However, his fame lives as countless people write to him to express their admiration. He receives so much fan mail daily that he requires his own postman, of which the young Mario takes up. A beautiful friendship forms between the two, especially as Neruda teaches Mario the power of poetry when it comes to love. He uses this to court Beatrice, a waitress in the local village.
Source: IMDB.com
Speaking of friendship and love, the second Italian-language film on this list, "Cinema Paradiso," has become a classic within that trope. The story mainly centres on Salvatore Di Vita, an acclaimed director who grew up in a war-torn Sicilian town. During his childhood, he worked in the local cinema, "Cinema Paradiso" with Alfredo, the theatre's projectionist. They form an unlikely but beautiful friendship, with Alfredo teaching the young Salvatore all about the beauty of cinema. And during his youth, even when he falls for the beautiful Elena, the future director still chose to listen to his old friend in fulfilling his dream.
Source: IMDB.com/ Miramax Studios
"Only You" is one of those classic 90s rom-coms where an American travels all over Europe in the hopes of finding her true love. But in the case of the protagonist, Marisa Tomei's 'Faith,' her reason for finding this love is a peculiar one. Since she was a little girl, she thought she as defined to marry a man who had a specific name, even though she hasn't met him nor knows if she will like him or not. And right before she's about to marry someone else, she goes to Italy in search for this man, played by Robert Downey Jr. But, as rom-coms go, the road to her happy ending isn't this easy.
Source: IMDb.com/ Tristar Pictures, Inc
While "Only You" had an American Woman travelling to Italy to find true love, "Under the Tuscan Sun" has her escaping it instead. After discovering that her husband has been cheating on her, she divorces him and takes an impromptu trip to Tuscany, Italy. Here, she discovers an old villa and decides to buy it and live there herself. As she tries to adjust to becoming a true-blue Tuscan woman, she gets entangled with all sorts of dramas and affairs from the people around her. As well as, of course, a few romantic trysts herself.
Source: IMDb.com/ Photo by Franco Biciocchi - © 2003 Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Similarly, the movie adaptation of the bestselling book, "Eat Pray Love," follows the same move trope. Julia Roberts plays Elizabeth Gilbert who, after getting divorced, decides to take a trip around the world in order to find herself. She first embarks on Italy where she first takes on the first part of the title, "Eat." The country does, after all, has one of the best cuisines in the world. And it's here where she gains a new love for life, enjoying the best Italian food in the one place where she can get it authentically.
Source: IMDb.com/ Photo by François Duhamel - © 2010 CTMG, Inc.
Italy is probably one of the very few countries that have a ton of romantic places. If you don't think so, perhaps these movies will convince you. From classic films to modern-day rom-coms, these are just some of the finest romantic movies filmed in Italy.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get curated travel inspirations.
Submit |
