Archive for 'Books and Movies in Italy'

Read on to discover the second part of in our two-part series aboout the filming locations and sights and to go beyond Campania and find Ripley’s (2024) other destinations that you can visit on vacation in Italy.

Following on from the last post, we have been charting the adventures of the titular character of Ripley as he explores Italy. In episode three,  Ripley and his friend, Dickie, go on a trip to the town of Sanremo, in Liguria, a leading tourist destination along the Italian Riviera. Amidst the tense scenes, it is still possible to see the seaside charms of the town – the elegant buildings, the palm trees waving in the breeze, the lovely beach along the seafront, the pretty streets, and more. You might even take a cue from the characters and rent a boat for a trip, though hopefully in more pleasant circumstances! All is possible should you book a holiday rental in Liguria and come explore the delightful Sanremo for yourself.

Continuing to showcase Italy’s charms and cinematic beauty, Netflix’s Ripley released on the 4th of March 2024 on Netflix only adds to the endless reasons to book a villa in Italy as soon as is physically possible. Using our comprehensive guide to the filming locations and destinations of the show, plan your own chic adventure in Italy but do note that there may be mild spoilers from things implied so read on with caution if you have not finished it yet!

Netflix’s new limited series, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1995 novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, once again showcases some of Italy’s most remarkable destinations, though with a gritty and Hitchcockian filter. Anthony Minghella’s 1999 movie adaptation of the same name, starring Matt Damon and Jude Law, elegantly displayed the laconic pleasures of holidays on the coast in the south of Italy as well as the cosmopolitan delights of her most famous cities while Ripley opens with some rather ominous shots of details of Rome’s lush and plentiful architectural and sculptural figures.

The stunning landscape of rolling hills and lush greenery of Tuscany is an innately inspiring place that can border on seeming unreal or like paradise, particularly the gorgeous Orcia Valley. In fact, if you find a villa in the Orcia Valley, you will easily see how beautiful it really is and understand why it was chosen for two very famous and pivotal scenes in Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning masterpiece, Gladiator. An enduring icon in the cinematic world over the past two decades, it was set in Ancient Rome but was filmed in locations across England, Morocco, and Malta, reconstructions of Ancient Roman cities and landmarks, and Tuscany's enchanting Orcia Valley.