Locations are not simply places; they can fill the role of protagonist, contributing not only to building the atmosphere of a film but also to telling its story. Narrated by film critic Gianni Canova, Italy for Movies - The series is a journey through Italy, which tells the history and curiosities of each place, cultural ties, anecdotes and peculiarities.
An extraordinary journey including Crespi d’Adda, Tresigallo and Palmanova, where reality and fantasy merge in industrial and imaginative cities, each with its own uniqueness and wonder.
Villaggio Crespi was built in 1878 to provide the workforce and their families with comfortable living near the factory. Its history is told in the novel “Al di qua del Fiume” by Alessandra Selmi. Films set here include: Guida romantica ai posti perduti (Giorgia Farina, 2020), a road movie with Jasmine Trinca; I Cammelli by Giuseppe Bertolucci (1988); 18 regali by Francesco Amato (2020) with Vittoria Puccini and Benedetta Porcaroli.
Available from October 29, 2024.
Parco Bomarzo, the Parco Mediceo of Pratolino and the Giardino dei Tarocchi are the stages on a journey among monsters and the tarot, an adventure into the depths of the unknown and symbolism. The enigmatic figures of the tarot guide the traveller through the arcane, offering insights and revelations.
Pratolino Park near Florence was the location for Fireworks, a 1997 film by Leonardo Pieraccioni.
Available from October 29, 2024.
Bagni di San Filippo (Tuscany), Calanchi di Atri (Teramo), Dune di Piscinas and Cala Moresca in Sardinia are the reflection of the beauty of nature and its complexity. An enchantment that invites contemplation and reflection.
Dune di Piscinas has been a location for numerous works: the video clips Due vite by Marco Mengoni and Adios Paranoia by Negrita (where stands in for a South American desert), and above all the recent Walt Disney live action production The Little Mermaid, which was filmed in Cala Moresca, Rena Majore and the municipality of Aglientu. After a worldwide search for locations, the choice fell on Rena Majore for the prince's castle and carriage ride. The film generated a great return of image, especially the geolocalization of the locations. A curiosity is that the streets and squares have marine themed names, as if the little mermaid had returned home.
Available from November 5, 2024.
The “Alchemical Door” in the Esquiline district of Rome, the Hermitage of Montesiepi, the Abbey of San Galgano in Tuscany, Rocca Calascio in Abruzzo. The episode offers a journey through legendary places that have shaped myths and epic tales over the centuries from ancient ruins to wild landscapes and sacred places.
There are various film references: Luca Miniero's film Sono tornato (2018) - shot almost entirely outdoors in Rome, Latina, Milan - sees Mussolini (Massimo Populizio) coming back to life through the “Alchemical Door” in, paradoxically, the multi-ethnic district of Piazza Vittorio.
Rocca Calascio is a place much loved by cinema: location of the series La Piovra, it is mostly connected with Richard Donner’s film Ladyhawke (1985), with Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The flow of tourists to the structure has generated a domino effect that has led to the fortress being included in National Geographic’s 10 most beautiful castles in the world; impressive sets were assembled for the film and have become part of the scenery that a tourist expects to see here. The fortress is also linked to The Name of the Rose by Jean-Jacques Annaud (1986), as the tower of Rocca Calascio appears in a snowy landscape, although the production actually filmed in a quarry near Rome. Photographs of the land between Barisciano and Campo Imperatore were used to create the backdrop for a scene where the friars head to the monastery on mules. The Hermitage of Montesiepi and the Abbey of San Galgano, often in the spotlight of tourism and cameras, are linked to the legend of the sword in the stone which, it turns out, predates the story of King Arthur and could have originated here.
Available from November 5, 2024.
Perugini’s Tree House, Procida prison, the former Daste and Spalenga power plant in Bergamo. The episode takes us to abandoned, but not entirely forgotten, places that are experiencing a surprising rebirth through innovative recovery projects.
Available from November 12, 2024
An epic journey through sacred lands and spiritual places that enchant and inspire: the medieval village of Bevagna, the Temple of Valadier in Le Marche, the Catholic Church of Stilo in Calabria, Bagni tre Chiese in the Isarco Valley, the Basilica of Siponto in Manfredonia.
Cinema is referenced in the episode through the "Cinecittà of Umbria" - Bevagna (Perugia) - location for a number of works including Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Franco Zeffirelli (1972), The Name of the Rose (series) by Giacomo Battiato (2019), Benedetta by Paul Verhoeven (2021), Dante by Pupi Avati (2022), Chiara by Susanna Nicchiarelli (2022).
Available from November 12, 2024.
The “Nuvola” (cloud) designed by Fuksas in Rome, Renzo Piano's Biosphere in Genoa, Lucio Pia's Condominio 25 Verde in Turin introduce a story of works designed by great architects that go beyond simple functionality and aesthetics to deeply integrate with the surrounding environment.
The Nuvola, the representation of an unusual, contemporary Rome unlike the traditional reminders of antiquity, is one of the most iconic works designed by architect Massimiliano Fuksas and is a point of reference for cinema, literature and art. Previously a parking lot, the place was the setting for the episode directed by Federico Fellini in Boccaccio 70 (1962), entitled The temptations of Doctor Antonio with Peppino De Filippo and Anita Ekberg. More recently, Roman architecture stood in for London on the series Diavoli about the world of high finance with Alessandro Borghi: the hall of a bank was set in the Nuvola.
In Genoa Renzo Piano designed the Biosfera, a piece of tropical forest inside a transparent sphere suspended in the Mediterranean Sea to represent the world. It is set in a context, the port of Genoa, which has often been a filming location: Giorni e nuvole by Silvio Soldini (2007), Cosimo e Nicole by Francesco Amato (2012) with Riccardo Scamarcio, Uno su due by Eugenio Cappuccio (2006) with Fabio Volo as a lawyer with a house overlooking the port. Genoa was also the key location in the series Blanca, with Maria Chiara Giannetta in the role of a blind policewoman.
Available from November 19.
A journey through castles and their symbolism – Castel del Monte, the Norman-Swabian Castle of Gioia del Colle, Toblino Castle in Trentino, Bard Fort in Valle d’Aosta – fairytale places which are also custodians of ancient mysteries.
Castel del Monte and the Norman-Swabian Castle of Gioia del Colle were locations for the episode “La Pulce” in Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales (2015). Garrone was struck by the former’s octagonal shape and the similar architectural features of the latter. Pier Paolo Pasolini and Liliana Cavani also filmed inside the Castle of Gioia del Colle.
Bard Fort, on the border of Valle d'Aosta and Piedmont, has welcomed famous visitors including Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour. Destroyed by Napoleon and rebuilt by the Savoys, it is now a museum, but in 2015 it became part of the Marvel universe when it was chosen as a location for Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Available from November 19, 2024.
Burri’s Cretto, Gibellina, Fiumara d'Arte near Messina, Daniel Spoerri’s Garden on Mount Amiata, are open-air art gardens. Murals, installations and sculptures not only decorate, but tell stories, reflect cultures and stimulate reflection.
One of the most dystopian stories produced for TV, Nicolò Ammanniti’s Anna (2018), was set in the streets of Gibellina.
Available from November 26, 2024.
Craco, Caorle Lagoon, Altilia Saepino Archaeological Park offer the inspiration for time travel through ancient or recently discovered places that tell the vibrant stories of the peoples and cultures that inhabited them.
Craco is a village in Lucania, crumbling due to landslides. Founded in the 8th century, a continuous process of depopulation began in the Sixties which culminated with the 1980 earthquake. The films shot here include: La lupa by Alberto Lattuada (1953), Christ Stopped at Eboli by Francesco Rosi (1979), Ninfa plebea by Lina Werthmuller (1996), Basilicata coast to coast by Rocco Papaleo (2010), and, memorably, Mel Gibson's blockbuster The Passion (2004), which crudely recounts the last 12 hours of Christ's life. The scene of Judas' hanging was filmed in Craco, chosen by the director to represent the outskirts of Jerusalem. Mel Gibson wanted the carcass of a dead donkey buzzing with insects at Judas' feet to make it more realistic.
Altilia Sepino in Molise is one of the most important archaeological areas in Italy. The comedy Vengo anch'io (2018) directed by and starring Nuzzo and Di Biase, passes through here.
Laura Samani set her debut film Piccolo corpo (2021) at the Caorle Lagoon in Veneto.
Available from November 26, 2024.
