Aosta (Valle d’Aosta) – The Bard Fort that dominates the village not far from the capital is the fortress that hides the scepter of Loki in the Avengers: Age of Ultron, sequel to Marvel, which was recently released (2015).  Other scenes are shot in Piazza Cavalieri of Vittorio Veneto and in the hamlets of Bard.

Casale Marittimo (Pisa, Toscana) – With a little more than 1,000 inhabitants, this splendid village is immersed in the Pisan Maremma on a hill that overlooks the Valley of Cecina:  in 2010 Carlo Mazzacurati shot The Passion there almost entirely, with lead actor Silvio Orlando.

Matera (Basilicata) – European capital of culture for 2019 and Unesco world heritage site, Matera was the natural setting for The Passion of Christ, the much discussed and controversial masterpiece of Mel Gibson.  The famous “rocks” every year are the framework of an evocative, live manger scene.

Cortona (Arezzo, Toscana) – This little city is at the center of the novel and film by the same name, Under the Tuscan Sun,  shot in part also in San Sepolcro.  The book carries the signature of Frances Mayes, a writer who loves to spend several months a year in Tuscany.

Arezzo (Toscana) – Whoever visits Arezzo today with guides or maps will find a special tourist itinerary: it is the path of  Life is Beautiful, and you can travel again step by step through the places that the masterpiece of Roberto Benigni was set:  from Piazza Grande to the Cafè dei costanti all the way to the Vasari lodges.

Pienza (Siena, Tuscany) – A Unesco world heritage site for humanity, Pienza owes its fortune to Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who was born there is 1405, and once he became Pope Pius II, wished to build a modern walled city under the direction of architect, Bernardo Rossellino.  The town became the setting for The English Patient, the film by Anthony Minghelli, winner of 9 Oscars in 1997.

San Quirico D’Orcia (Siena, Toscana) – The postcard-perfect scenery around this village, today a Unesco world heritage site, was the background of two epic scenes of Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, The Gladiator (2000): the return home of General Massimo and the dreamy reproduction of the Campi Elisi.

Montepulciano (Siena, Toscana) – In the second chapter of the saga of Twilight, New Moon (2009), many scenes are set within the walls and the medieval alleys of the fortified city, and also in the town hall and in the historic wine cellar, Cantina de’Ricci.

Anghiari (Arezzo, Toscana) – It is among the most beautiful villages of Italy (www.Borghitalia.it) and also the Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club (www.bandierearancioni.it) and Slow Cities (www.cittaslow.org).  Aghiari hosted in 2007 the shooting of the film, Una Moglie Bellissima by Leonardo Pieraccioni.  At nearby Poppi was shot The Cyclone (1996), another great success of the Tuscan director.

Rocco Calascio (L’Aquila, Abruzzo) – At 1.460 meters (4,790 feet) in altitude, this village is the highest in central Italy.  The historical village center and the castle were settings of the films Ladyhawke (with Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer, 1985), Il nome della rosa / The Name of the Rose (with Sean Connery, 1986), Il viaggio della sposa / The Voyage of the Bride (directed by Sergio Rubini, 1997),  L’orizzonte degli eventi / The Horizon of the Events (with Valerio Mastrandrea, 2005) and The American (with George Clooney, 2010).

Polignano a Mare (Bari, Puglia) – Many of the scenes of the successful comedy, Amiche da morire / Friends to Die For (2013), with Claudia Gerini, Cristiana Capotondi and Sabrina Impacciatore, were shot here, in addition to the Pugliesi locations of Monopoli and Massafra.

Castellabate (Salerno, Campania) – Even now the road sign on arrival in this town has re-christened the coastal village as Il Paese di Benvenuti al Sud (2010).  Don’t mis the pretty piazza with the view of the Gulf of Cilento, the main location of cinematic events by Claudio Bisio and Alessandro Siani.

Cernobbio (Como, Lombardia) – This beautiful lakeside village is not only the place in which Luchino Visconti spent his childhood.  Here, in 2004, Ocean’s Twelve was shot, the brilliant action film of Steven Soderbergh, the sequel of Ocean’s Eleven.  The cast stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, and Vincent Cassel.

Lenno (Como, Lombardia) – 007 Casino Royale (2006) and Guerre stellari / Stellar Wars: Episode II (2002) made stops here, among the romantic alleys of the town center and the splendors of the Villa del Balbianello, on the shore of the lake.

Bellano (Lecco, Lombardia) – This charming little town on the shore of Lake Como, Bellano is the birthplace of the writer Andrea Vitali.  It was inevitable that L’aria del lago, the film by Alberto Rondalli adapted from his novel, The Secret of Ortelia, was shot here, in 2007.

Procida (Napoli, Campania) – Marina Corricella, the beach of Pozzo Vecchio, and the hills that make up the tail of the island were the immortal setting of Il Postino (1994), the last masterpiece of Massimo Troisi.  It is also the background of Il Talento di Mr. Ripley / The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), with Matt Damon, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffmann.

Ventotene (Latina, Lazio) — Between June and July of 2015 on the island will begin the filming Leonardo Pieraccioni’s next picture.  He will be the protagonist along with Laura Chiatti.  The film should be released at Christmas 2016.  Massimo Ceccherini will also be in the cast.

Portofino (Genova, Liguria) – Some scenes of The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) by Martin Scorsese and with Leonardo Di Caprio, were shot in Portofino, but also between Vernazza and Riomaggiore (Le Cinque Terre).

Ussolo (Cuneo, Piemonte) – This tiny mountain village, hamlet of the town of Prazzo, was the location of the film, Il vento fa il suo giro / (roughly) The Wind Makes its Journey (2005), an independent film prized by both the public and the critics and produced in Italy, France, and elsewhere.  Some actors are real inhabitants of the village.

Sant’Agata De’ Goti (Benevento, Campania) – Bandiera arancione (orange flag) of the Italian Touring Club, from November 2012 made this town part of the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy.  And in 2015 it will be appreciated on the big screen as the location of the film, Si accettano miracoli / Miracles Accepted, by and with Alessandro Siani.