Take a star-studded trip to Italy by visiting these film locations

We’ve been in some form of quarantine, lockdown, social distancing nightmare for almost a year now. (Can you believe it’s actually been that long?) Staying home for this long has made our innate wanderlust rear its head in a big way, and it’s getting harder & harder to shake.

Today we’ve set our sights on Italy – a country filled with rich history, delicious food, and trendy fashion. We fantasized about what a future vacation to the boot-shaped country might look like and we decided we’d want to turn it into a tour of film locations.

Here’s a list of all the fun places to consider visiting when going to Italy.

Taormina – The Godfather

The 1972 movie, The Godfather, is mostly based in the U.S., however, they did go on location for the scenes with Michael (Al Pacino) in the Corleone family village. They filmed these scenes in the town of Taormina, which is on the east coast of the island of Sicily.

Taormina has beautiful beaches, the ancient outdoor theater known as Teatro di Taormina, and the lovely piazza called Taormina Piazza. Taormina also has a walking tour for fans of The Godfather that will show you all the fun filming locations they used including the Castello degli Schiavi.

Matera & Palinuro – Wonder Woman

The 2017 DCEU movie, Wonder Woman, features an idyllic island known as Themyscira. The beautiful (and sadly not real) location was filmed in a few different Italian locations, which means while there may not be a lush green island cutoff from humanity with only women, you can see Themyscira with your own eyes.

You can visit the town of Matera, which resides in the “heel” of Italy if you’d like to walk the streets of Themyscira. The old sprawling town is breath-taking in pictures, and can only be more impressive in person. You can even stay inside a cave while you stay there. The city is known for its impressive caves, and hotels have been set up inside some.

On the other hand, if you’d like to see the gorgeous white sand beach that Themyscira touts (we can’t blame you, we’re beach people too) then you’ll want to visit Palinuro. With light sandy beaches and turquoise waters. Keep in mind though – Palinuro is a very sought after beach destination and it’ll likely be jam packed with people. It’s definitely not the deserted oasis the movie makes it seem.

Lake Como – Casino Royale

If you love action movies then you’ve probably seen Casino Royale, the first James Bond movie to feature Daniel Craig. The movie had filming locations in a number of different countries, and a few places in Italy, but Lake Como is the area where Mr. White’s villa resides and is also where they filmed Bond’s recovery after being tortured.

Lake Como is just outside of Milan and close to the border of Switzerland, making this destination much further inland than any of the others we’ve mentioned so far. However, it isn’t without stunning water views, thanks to it being, well a lake.

Lake Como is just as stunning as the coastal locations we’ve recommended. There are boat trips & tours, sailing & windsurfing opportunities, and multiple historic gardens & villas to check out while you visit Lake Como – you might even be able to spot the one they used for Mr. White’s residence.

The Dolomites – The Pink Panther

The 1963 movie, The Pink Panther, spent a sizable portion of production filming in the Dolomites – a gorgeous and uniquely shaped mountain range. The movie filmed many of its scenes at the Cortina d’Ampezzo resort. The resort was a venue for the 1956 Winter Olympics and is set to host the games again in 2026.

As a bonus, you can also check out the Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel, which can be seen in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only.

The Dolomites are located in the far north of Italy. It’s a fantastic place to visit in the snowy winters for snow sports and cozy resorts.