Forza Horizon 2 is set in Southern Europe, in Provenza and Liguria, on the French Riviera and the Riviera of Flowers. For the occasion some virtual settings clearly inspired by the Ligurian coast were recreated, along with fictitious locations (Castelletto, Montellino and San Giovanni) reminiscent of characteristic locations in the region. It’s no accident that a promotional advert for the game was shot before the release in none other than Liguria, more specifically in Noli and Finale Ligure.
“The Italian section of the map is a medley of Piedmont, Tuscany, Liguria and Campania, represented in Castelletto, Montellino and San Giovanni: they are digital super locations that are familiar yet unsettling: Castelletto does not correspond to the 2km-long residential quarter that is located on the high ground overlooking the historical centre of Genoa and sits like a tetromino between the quarters of Prè, Maddalena, Portoria and San Vincenzo to the south, Oregina to the west and the quarters of Val Bisagno San Fruttuoso, Marassi and Staglieno. No, the digital Castelletto is an accurate replica of Amalfi, with lots of the Amalfi Cathedral featuring. Steep mountains frame a medium-sized urban settlement boldly overlooking the sea, adorned with beaches and parasols, benches and piers, ice-cream shops, greengrocer’s shops, and tunnels. What’s most striking about the video game’s Castelletto is its crumbling buildings: indeed, there are a number of abandoned buildings, monuments to the socio-architectural decline of Italy in the 21st century, a country that lost almost five million inhabitants between 2006 and 2016, who emigrated abroad in search of their fortunes. Continuing north, we come to Montellino, a fictional Potemkin-style village characterised by some of the most picturesque views in Forza Horizon 2, with hot air balloons lifting off at regular intervals and fireworks lighting up a night in which all the cows are black. Located in the middle of rolling hills and thriving vineyards, Montellino exemplifies the rural ideal imagined by landscape painters from the 18th and 19th centuries, an image that culminates in a luxurious estate overlooking a lake” (Matteo Bittanti, ‘Cartoline dal Belpaese‘).
Forza Horizon 2 is set in Southern Europe, in Provenza and Liguria, on the French Riviera and the Riviera of Flowers. For the occasion some virtual settings clearly inspired by the Ligurian coast were recreated, along with fictitious locations (Castelletto, Montellino and San Giovanni) reminiscent of characteristic locations in the region. It’s no accident that a promotional advert for the game was shot before the release in none other than Liguria, more specifically in Noli and Finale Ligure.
“The Italian section of the map is a medley of Piedmont, Tuscany, Liguria and Campania, represented in Castelletto, Montellino and San Giovanni: they are digital super locations that are familiar yet unsettling: Castelletto does not correspond to the 2km-long residential quarter that is located on the high ground overlooking the historical centre of Genoa and sits like a tetromino between the quarters of Prè, Maddalena, Portoria and San Vincenzo to the south, Oregina to the west and the quarters of Val Bisagno San Fruttuoso, Marassi and Staglieno. No, the digital Castelletto is an accurate replica of Amalfi, with lots of the Amalfi Cathedral featuring. Steep mountains frame a medium-sized urban settlement boldly overlooking the sea, adorned with beaches and parasols, benches and piers, ice-cream shops, greengrocer’s shops, and tunnels. What’s most striking about the video game’s Castelletto is its crumbling buildings: indeed, there are a number of abandoned buildings, monuments to the socio-architectural decline of Italy in the 21st century, a country that lost almost five million inhabitants between 2006 and 2016, who emigrated abroad in search of their fortunes. Continuing north, we come to Montellino, a fictional Potemkin-style village characterised by some of the most picturesque views in Forza Horizon 2, with hot air balloons lifting off at regular intervals and fireworks lighting up a night in which all the cows are black. Located in the middle of rolling hills and thriving vineyards, Montellino exemplifies the rural ideal imagined by landscape painters from the 18th and 19th centuries, an image that culminates in a luxurious estate overlooking a lake” (Matteo Bittanti, ‘Cartoline dal Belpaese‘).
Forza Horizon 2 is the main chapter in a series of open world driving games set in real contexts. The first Forza Horizon was set in Colorado, this episode in Europe, and the third in Australia.
